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Ocha Initiative for Peace and Unity Nigeria, a non-governmental organization, has raised alarms over the prevailing insecurity, division, and inflation within Nigeria.
The organization noted that ethno-religious conflicts, socio-economic and political violence have escalated since the return to civil rule in 1999.
Speaking at a press conference, Odirachukwu Augustine Kekeocha, Chairman, and Convener of the Initiative, attributed this surge in unrest to the freedoms provided by democratic rule.
Kekeocha urged the federal government to take responsibility and act decisively to end the violence plaguing the nation, which threatens to engulf the entire country.
The organization’s study highlighted the chronic incidents of ethno-religious crises, leading to loss of lives and significant destruction of properties.
His words, “The impact of violent religious conflicts is profound, affecting peaceful coexistence, political stability, and socio-economic development in Nigeria.
“The colossal lose to violent religious conflicts in Nigeria did not end with loss of lives and properties. In fact, its attendant effects on peaceful co existence, political stability and socio-economic Development is beyond comprehension. Hardly can one speak of progress in Nigeria when our social, political, economic and religious systems fail to Maintain at least a minimum level of social decorum.
“At the same time, sustainable and lasting religious peace across the nation have been aborted times without number owing to the recurrent cases of religious conflicts. As those religious conflicts linger on, distrust and suspicion became the order of the day, more especially between the adherents of Islam and Christianity in Nigeria.
“Though, there are records of occasional conflicts between African Traditional religion and other religions for a number of reasons.
The group underscored the necessity for religious understanding and respect, advocating for concerted efforts by the government and religious adherents to build bridges of harmony.
He added, “Conflict has far reaching implications for peace, national security and development in any society not just Nigeria. In fact, it has become a useful tool to ferment problems resulting to both political upheavals, and disunity.”
He noted further that political instability and social unrest have negative effect on FDI inflows, as insecurity in any form reduces the chances of a country being selected as an investment location.
“These social unrest and political instability can also dictate the patterns of investments within the host country. The patterns can reflect a spread across the host country or cluster of investment in a particular area. This also depends on the nature of the geographical environment and how conducive the various investment locations are within the country,” he added.
