NMSC URGES NIGERIANS, FG TO INVEST IN PEACE AS NATION MARKS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE 2026

 

…Says Corps Ready to Serve as Integral Offshoot of Emerging State Police Structures

By S. Oteh, Corps Public Relations Officer, NMSC

 

As Nigeria joins the global community to mark the International Day of Peace 2026, the Nigerian Mediation Service Corps (NMSC) has called on all Nigerians, the Federal Government, and national institutions to embrace this year’s theme: “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day.”

In a statement issued from its National Secretariat in Abuja, the Corps emphasised that peace is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of justice, dignity, and opportunity for every Nigerian in every community, in every state, and at every moment of our national life. The NMSC described peace as an investment that must be made deliberately, consistently, and by all citizens.

 

From The Mediators to NMSC: An Evolution of Mandate

The NMSC recalled its institutional journey, noting that it has not always borne its current name. The Corps began as volunteers of the Nigerian Peace Corps, operating under the banner of The Mediators a volunteer-driven movement committed to mediating in crisis situations and fostering national cohesion, guided by the vision of its founding father, Professor Humphrey Ogoegbunam, who established the National Unity and Peace Corps (NUPEC) in 1987.

Through the years, the organisation navigated legislative processes, institutional challenges, and the natural evolution of any body committed to a noble cause. Today, it stands as the Nigerian Mediation Service Corps a corps of approximately 40,400 trained volunteers across all 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, dedicated to community-based mediation, early warning systems, and alternative dispute resolution.

“Our name has changed. Our mandate has sharpened. But our fundamental commitment remains unchanged: to invest in peace every day, in every community, for every Nigerian,” the Corps stated.

 

NMSC Honours Security Agencies, Commends IGP Disu’s Reforms

On this International Day of Peace, the NMSC honoured the men and women of Nigeria’s national security agencies the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and all others who labour daily, often at great personal risk, to maintain peace and order in our communities. The Corps described their sacrifices as the invisible foundation upon which the nation’s stability rests.

The NMSC particularly commended the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, for his relentless pursuit of police reforms and his unwavering commitment to community-oriented policing. Under his leadership, the Nigeria Police Force has embraced a philosophy that places citizens at the centre of security promoting collaboration, transparency, and shared responsibility between the police and the public.

The Corps noted that the recent redeployment of personnel to grassroots divisions, the strengthening of community partnerships, and the inauguration of a committee on state policing all attest to a leadership that understands that peace is built from the ground up not merely enforced from the top.

 

NMSC Seeks Role as Integral Offshoot of State Police Structures

The NMSC encouraged the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to continue its bold and necessary reforms in the security sector. The Corps noted that the proposed establishment of state police, the National Policing Bill currently being developed by the Presidential Working Group, and the broader restructuring of the security architecture are historic steps toward a safer, more responsive, and more accountable policing system.

The Corps urged the Federal Government to see the NMSC as a willing and ready partner in this endeavour. Its 40,400 trained peace volunteers, its state-level structures across the federation, and the 100 hectares of land bequeathed by His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, for a national training institute are assets that can be activated immediately to support the community engagement and alternative dispute resolution components of the emerging state police structures.

“We are not asking to be outside the system; we are offering to be its integral offshoot,” the statement read.

 

A Call to All Nigerians

To fellow Nigerians, the NMSC emphasised that peace is not the work of government alone. It is the work of every citizen, every family, every community, and every institution. The theme of this year’s International Day of Peace calls on all to invest in peace not passively, but actively and deliberately.

The Corps urged Nigerians to invest in peace by choosing dialogue over violence, by resolving disputes through mediation rather than litigation or retaliation, by supporting the security agencies with information, cooperation, and trust, and by building inclusive communities where every Nigerian regardless of ethnicity, religion, or region feels a sense of belonging and dignity.

This year’s International Day of Peace honours the “everyday architects of peace”  volunteers, advocates, civil society leaders, and peacemakers who are bridging divides and building peace from the ground up. The NMSC expressed pride in counting itself among these everyday architects and called on all Nigerians to join in this noble work.

 

A Renewed Commitment

The NMSC, on this International Day of Peace, recommitted itself to mediating in disputes before they escalate into conflict; monitoring community tensions and providing early warning to formal security agencies; building bridges between the police and the communities they serve; training a new generation of peacebuilders through its national training institute; and partnering with the Federal Government, state governments, and all security agencies in building a Nigeria where peace is not a distant dream but a lived reality.

The Corps called on all Nigerians young and old, in cities and villages, in government and in civil society to join hands in this sacred task.

“Peace is an investment. Let us all invest in it for everyone, everywhere, every day.”

 

S. Oteh is the Corps Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Nigerian Mediation Service Corps (NMSC), Abuja.

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