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| National Peace Committee (Nigeria) | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Peace Committee (Nigeria) |
| Formation | 2000 |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Headquarters | Abuja |
| Region served | Nigeria |
| Leader title | Chairman |
| Leader name | General Abdulsalami Abubakar |
| Website | N/A |
National Peace Committee (Nigeria)
The National Peace Committee (NPC) is a Nigerian convening body established to promote peacebuilding and conflict resolution across Nigeria. Founded with the involvement of retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Christie Okowa-style civic actors and representatives from Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, the NPC engages stakeholders from political parties, religious organisations, traditional rulers, civil society and security agencies to mediate crises and reduce electoral violence. The NPC has mediated disputes linked to events such as the 1999 Nigerian general election aftermath, the 2011 Nigerian general election tensions, and local clashes in the Niger Delta and Middle Belt.
The NPC traces origins to post-1999 initiatives involving General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Ibrahim Babangida-era reconciliation efforts, and consultative platforms convened by the National Institute sector. Early support came from figures associated with Olusegun Obasanjo transition teams, Traditional rulers from Kano, Lagos elders, and faith leaders from Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria and Islamic sects who sought alternatives to armed confrontation. During the 2007 and 2011 electoral cycles the NPC worked alongside actors tied to the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Nigerian Bar Association to defuse tensions. The NPC later expanded engagement during crises involving Mend-era militancy in the Niger Delta, communal violence in Plateau State, and displacement episodes linked to Boko Haram insurgency spillover.
The NPC's mandate is to convene neutral parties to prevent and resolve disputes involving political parties, religious organisations, ethnic groups, traditional institutions, and security stakeholders such as the Nigerian Police Force. Objectives include promoting negotiated settlements similar to arrangements in the Sierra Leone peace process, fostering dialogue reminiscent of engagements by the African Union Commission, and supporting confidence-building measures used in Kenya and Sudan transitions. The NPC advances objectives aligned with commitments under regional frameworks like the Economic Community of West African States and engages comparative practice from United Nations mediation resources.
The NPC operates as a panel of eminent persons including retired senior officers such as General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former ministers from the Federal Executive Council, prominent jurists from the Nigerian Bar Association, clerics from the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, and traditional rulers like those from Benin Kingdom and Ooni of Ife circles. Membership draws on networks across state governments, the National Assembly, and international partners such as representatives linked to the United Nations Development Programme and the International Crisis Group. Governance includes a chairman, steering committee, and thematic working groups that liaise with agencies resembling the National Human Rights Commission and state-level peace committees.
Programs include pre-electoral confidence-building workshops modeled on ECOWAS interventions, post-crisis dialogue forums echoing procedures used in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and mediation deployments to hotspots such as Borno State and Rivers State. The NPC organises stakeholder consultations involving governors, senators, house of representatives members, faith leaders from Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, and civil society organisations like CLEEN Foundation and Transition Monitoring Group. It runs capacity-building sessions on dispute resolution, issues communiqués after roundtables, and partners with actors tied to the European Union and Norwegian Refugee Council for technical support. The NPC has also participated in reconciliation initiatives after clan clashes and oil-related disputes in Delta State.
During election cycles the NPC mediates between major parties such as All Progressives Congress and People's Democratic Party, liaises with the Independent National Electoral Commission and works with observer groups similar to those from the Commonwealth and African Union. It facilitates peace accords, ceasefire arrangements, and multi-party guarantees patterned after accords seen in Kenya 2007–2008 post-election mediation and supports mechanisms for peaceful vote acceptance. In localized conflicts the NPC employs traditional arbitration practices alongside legal advisories from jurists associated with the Supreme Court of Nigeria and restorative approaches used by truth commissions in Sierra Leone.
Critics from opposition parties and some civil society actors have accused the NPC of elite capture, arguing that reliance on retired officials and establishment clerics echoes patronage dynamics seen in controversies involving military regimes and entrenched political elites like those linked to Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. Human rights advocates referencing reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have questioned transparency in selection of mediators and outcomes, while some state actors have alleged bias when the NPC intervened in disputes involving governors of Rivers State and Kano State. Funding and partnerships with foreign donors similar to those from the European Union and bilateral missions have prompted debate about external influence.
Evaluations by scholars affiliated with University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, and policy institutes like Chatham House indicate mixed outcomes: successful reductions in acute electoral violence in certain states, improved interfaith dialogue in metropolitan areas like Lagos, but limited structural change in long-running conflicts in the Niger Delta and North East. Independent reviews drawing on methods used by the United Nations and World Bank note achievements in convening elites and preventing escalations, while recommending deeper grassroots linkages with organisations such as Centre for Democracy and Development and expanded monitoring with civil society networks including Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre.
Category:Organizations based in Nigeria