By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
The Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), in partnership with the UK-funded Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria Programme (SPRING) and the Plateau State Peacebuilding Agency (PSPBA) have successfully convened a high-level consultative and peer learning dialogue in Jos, Plateau State.
The dialogue brought together security officials and peacebuilding actors from Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau States to share practical experiences, exchange lessons learned and deliberate on collaborative strategies for addressing shared security and peacebuilding challenges across the region.
In a statement sent to our Correspondent by Amina Wali, the Communications Lead, Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), said since 2025, the agency, through its SPARCS programme, has trained over 300 men and women across the northwest and northcentral zones in early warning and early response cohorts, building a critical mass of practitioners equipped to detect, analyze, and respond to conflict risks in real time.
The Team Lead for SPRING, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, while speaking at the event, underscored the importance of sustained collaboration between Government institutions, communities, and development partners in addressing the complex drivers of insecurity.
Dr Ukoha noted that strengthening local capacities and fostering peer learning platforms such as this dialogue are essential to building resilient systems capable of preventing conflict before escalation.
In his remarks, the Director General of OSPRE, Mr. Chris Ngwodo, expressed deep appreciation to SPRING and the Government of the United Kingdom for their continued support to peacebuilding and resilience efforts in Nigeria.
He emphasized the imperative of multi-level governance coordination, urging State and Local Government actors to work more closely with federal institutions to secure communities and build trust-based security architectures.
He said, “No single tier of Government can address today’s security challenges in isolation. What is required is a coherent, collaborative framework that aligns local knowledge with national capabilities”.
On her part, the Director General of PSPBA, Ms. Julie Sanda, commended OSPRE and SPRING for their sustained commitment to fostering peace and stability in Plateau State and the wider region.
She highlighted the importance of institutional partnerships and called for expanded collaboration to scale successful interventions and deepen impact at the community level.
A key highlight of the programme was a peer learning visit to the operational facility of Operation Rainbow, the Plateau State Government’s security outfit.
The dialogue concluded with a shared commitment among participating States to strengthen inter-state cooperation, institutionalize peer learning platforms, and enhance the effectiveness of early warning and response systems as a cornerstone of sustainable peace and security in Nigeria.
OSPRE serves as Nigeria’s national coordinating centre for early warning and response mechanisms, working to anticipate, prevent, and respond to emerging risks through data-driven, collaborative approaches.
The Jos dialogue forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen subnational coordination, enhance early warning systems, and promote adaptive, locally driven responses to evolving threats.
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