ABUJA (IPCR): The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in partnership with Bradford University, United Kingdom, are set to address the challenges of diversity management in Africa.
The Director-General of the Institute, Prof Bakut T. Bakut, made this known while speaking at a conference on ‘Peace, Diversity and Education,’ organized by the Institute, in collaboration with Bradford University, with the theme – “achieving sustainable peace through diversity management and peace education in Africa”.
The objective of the conference was to highlight and examine the impact of diversity mismanagement to the peace, security, and development of Africa. He explained that the conference was structured around critical issues of security and strategic interest, not only for Nigeria, but for Africa in general.
Prof. Bakut noted that President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to build bridges that would strengthen and foster internal cohesion within Nigeria and across Africa through policies and programs such as the Nigerian Technical Aid Scheme (TAC), aimed at assisting other African countries with specialized manpower.
He said, “It is important also to underscore the place of peace education in changing people’s perception of societal issues. Peace education inoculates citizens against tendencies that breed violence and dysfunctional conflicts by inculcating in them the values of the culture of peace.”
Also speaking at the conference, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford, Prof. Brian Cantor, reiterated that education is the key to address many challenges facing the nation. He also noted that Nigeria is rich in diversity, which is a massive strength to the nation.
The key speaker at the conference, Prof. Dakas C.J Dakas, said that diversity is something that could be celebrated, however, it could be conflict triggered if it is not properly managed or when it is manipulated.
