The government of the United States of America has recommended to the federal government the need to deploy painstaking dialogue, strengthen the responsiveness of state institutions, address grievances and perceptions and improve accountability and transparency in the bid to resolving its internal conflicts.
The acting assistant secretary, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilisation Operations, U.S. Department of State, Mr. Thomas Hushek made the recommendation at a conference held yesterday in Washington DC under the theme ‘Peace in Nigeria: How to build it and America’s role.’ The conference was held under the auspices of the United States Institute of Peace, (USIP), in Washington DC where the agency convened a gathering of U.S. officials, diplomats and Nigerian leaders.
The symposium agreed on the need for the federal government to strengthen the responsiveness of state institutions, address grievances and perceptions “before they become reality and improve accountability and transparency”. Hushek maintained that enduring peace in Nigeria will require a painstaking dialogue”.
Re-echoing Gen. Martin-Luther Agwai’s introductory remarks on centrality of the country to potential peace in Africa, Hushek described Nigeria as a very critical U.S. partner on the continent. However, he said President Muhammadu Buhari’s government must in its pursuit of peace first identify the options that citizens want implemented.
The former Nigerian chief of army staff and former commander of the combined United Nations-African Union peace-keeping force in Darfur, Sudan, Gen. Agwai, is one of the members of the Nigeria Senior Working Group who participated in the conference.
