Zulum Addresses Retreat On Borno’s Peace-Building At Oxford,  

By addressing a group of participants at a four-day working retreat organised by Oxford University in England, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has taken the lead in drawing more international assistance for Borno’s peace-building efforts.

The retreat, which focuses on support for victims of Boko Haram atrocities and handling repentant insurgents, will be held at the University of Oxford from September 13 to 16, 2023, according to a statement released on Thursday by the governor’s spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau.

Gusau stated that the retreat’s topic is “Strengthening the Borno Model” of peace-building in terms of strengthening routes to successes in encouraging mass evacuation of Boko Haram fighters and resolving model inadequacies.

The retreat was organised by Inter Mediate, a recognized charity organisation based in the United Kingdom that works to stop armed conflicts around the world.

According to him, the charity organisation is collaborating with “(international) experts on the development of implementation plans on transitional justice and strategic communications, as well as to lay out a vision for the next phase of the Borno Model within the context of Nigeria’s larger peace strategy.”

The retreat is being sponsored by the British High Commission in Nigeria.

Gusau reported that his principal arrived in the UK on Wednesday evening and was greeted with a welcome meal at the University of Oxford’s first college. He was entertained by Baroness Valerie Amos, the college’s master (the first black head of the college).

Governor Zulum on Thursday made a presentation titled “The Borno Model- a strategic vision for the next phase (results, ambition and challenges).”

The retreat had a 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)”.

Gusau said the retreat is expected to produce “a winning communication strategy” and “a legal framework for transitional justice” for the Borno Model with a 100-day action plan for implementation.

The retreat has representatives from the Nigerian Federal Government, the Nigerian military, the UK High Commission, and consulting experts.

Gusau revealed that the governor is attending the retreat alongside a delegation that includes Borno’s Commissioner for Information and Security, Professor Usman Tar, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Hauwa Abubakar, the special adviser on security, Brigadier General Abdullahi Ishaq (retired), the chief adviser and coordinator on Sustainable Development, Partnerships, and Humanitarian Support and including himself.