Nasarawa State Government in conjunction with United Nations Development Programme has said arrangements have been concluded on a bill seeking to establish an agency for Peace Building and Conflict Resolution to be presented to the State House of Assembly for consideration.
This was disclosed in an interview by Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Non-Governmental Affairs and Development Partners, Mrs. Munirant Abdullahi on Sunday in Lafia, the state capital.
She explained that the state government was committed to entrenching lasting peace to pave way for development across the 13 local government areas and 18 development areas in the state.
According to her, the bill if passed into law, would go a long way providing a platform where conflicts could be tackled through a round table discussion, aiming at enhancing sustainable peace and harmonious coexistence among different associations in the state.
Presenting a draft copy of the proposed bill, a Consultant for the United Nations Development Program, Professor Alabi Mojeed, said the draft was generated from consultations with different groups across the 13 local government areas of the state.
Earlier, Mojeed stated that the bill pays attention to issues of gender-based violence, herders-farmers clashes, ethnic and communal clashes among others.
The PUNCH reports that the meeting brought together various participants from over 40 different Civil Society Groups across the state including religious and community leaders, women and youth groups, market women as well as the National Association of Women Journalists and the security.