Local leaders and stakeholders at the peace bill drafting committee inauguration.
By Eunice Nnachi, Yenagoa
A major step toward institutionalizing peacebuilding in Bayelsa State has been taken with the inauguration of a 19-member drafting committee mandated to produce a bill for the establishment of a Sustainable Community Peace Commission (CPC).
The development followed a one-day Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Peace Sustenance held in Yenagoa, with the theme “Transformative Dialogue for Bayelsa Community Peace Commission (CPC) Bill for an Act.” The dialogue was convened by the Bayelsa State Peace Architecture (BYSPA) and facilitated by Search for Common Ground (SFCG), with funding support from the European Union (EU).
The high-powered drafting committee is chaired by Senator Barigha Amange, a distinguished lawmaker and traditional ruler. Hon. Watson Alfred Belemote, Commissioner for Community Development and Chairman of BYSPA, was named co-chairman, while Hon. Mrs. Ayibanengiyefa Egba, Chairperson of the Bayelsa House of Assembly Committee on Gender and Social Development, will serve as secretary, alongside Dr. Inebaraton Preye, BYSPA Secretary, as co-secretary.
Other members include representatives from security agencies, the Bayelsa Non-Governmental Organisations Forum (BANGOF), the Ministry of Justice, youth and women groups, legal practitioners, and the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), represented by Mr. Claude Ujile, Permanent Secretary for Politics and Economic Affairs.
Ujile, speaking on behalf of the SSG, assured participants of the government’s commitment to the peace initiative. He noted that Governor Douye Diri’s administration remains determined to mainstream peacebuilding into governance, adding that the CPC bill would receive full government backing to ensure its passage and assent.
The committee was given one month to produce a draft policy bill and two months to engage ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to secure wide stakeholder buy-in.
In his keynote presentation, Professor Tonbara Kingdom, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Delta University, emphasized that sustainable peace in Bayelsa must be transformative. He identified unemployment, poverty, and environmental degradation as major drivers of violence in the Niger Delta, warning that without addressing these root causes, peace efforts would remain fragile. “If we want peace, we must fight the war of correcting injustice,” he stressed, adding that true peace would yield dividends such as jobs, education, healthcare, and security.
Also speaking, Professor Chris Onyema, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Otuoke, praised the initiative, describing it as a milestone in institutionalizing peace. He noted that peace does not mean the absence of conflict but the reduction of conflict to levels that allow people to coexist harmoniously. He called for greater investment in youth development and the involvement of traditional rulers, civil society, and government in sustaining peace.
The dialogue also featured insights from lawmakers, commissioners, traditional leaders, and civil society actors, who collectively underscored the need for an inclusive framework to build lasting peace in Bayelsa State.
