Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State currently in Oxford, United Kingdom, has addressed participants at a four-day working retreat on Borno aim at strengthening the state Peace-building efforts through attracting more support from the international community.
A statement from the governor’s spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau, said the retreat which focused on support for victims of Boko Haram attacks and managing repentant insurgents, is holding at the University of Oxford from September 13 to 16.
“The retreat has the theme: ‘Strengthening the Borno Model’ of peace-building in terms of improving pathways to the successes recorded in encouraging mass exit of Boko Haram fighters and addressing shortcomings of the model.
“The retreat was organized by UK based Inter Mediate, a registered charity institution working towards ending armed conflicts around the world.
“The charity body is partnering with ‘(international) experts on the development of implementation plans on transitional justice and strategic communications, and to set out a vision for the next phase of the Borno Model within the context of Nigeria’s wider peace strategy’.
“The retreat is supported by the UK’s High Commission in Nigeria,” Gusau said.
He explained that Zulum arrived the UK on Wednesday evening and was hosted to a welcome dinner at the first college in the university by Baroness Valerie Amos, the master of the college, who is the first-ever black head of an Oxford college.
Zulum on Thursday made a presentation titled “The Borno Model- a strategic vision for the next phase (results, ambition and challenges).”
The retreat had presentation on “centering Borno In a Nigerian and Regional Peace Strategy (setting the Borno model within Nigeria and LCB’s wider conflict resolution approach and harmonizing the model with the dialogue initiative)”.
The retreat is expected to produce “a winning communication strategy” and “a legal framework for transitional justice” for the Borno Model with 100 days action plan for implementation.
The retreat has representatives from the Nigerian Federal Government, the Nigerian military, the UK High Commission and consulting experts.
On the governor’s delegation are: Commissioner for Information and Security, Prof. Usman Tar, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Hauwa Abubakar, the Special Adviser on Security, Brig. Gen. Abdullahi Sabi Ishaq (retired), the Chief Adviser and Coordinator on Sustainable Development, Partnerships and Humanitarian Support, Dr Mairo Mandara and the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau.
