Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has extended his search for support for victims of Boko Haram attacks and managing repentant insurgents to the international community.
The governor took his search to the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, where he addressed a group of participants at a four-day working retreat that aims to strengthen Borno State’s peace-building efforts by attracting more support from the international community.
This was contained in a statement released by the governor’s spokesman, Isa Gusau, on Thursday.
The retreat, which focuses on support for victims of Boko Haram attacks and managing repentant insurgents, is being held at the University of Oxford from September 13 to 16, 2023.
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 is being organised by the 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, according to the statement, is supported by the UK’s High Commission in Nigeria.
Zulum arrived in the UK on Wednesday evening and was hosted to a welcome dinner at the first college in the University of Oxford. He was hosted by the master of the college, Baroness Valerie Amos.
On Thursday, Zulum made a presentation titled, “The Borno Model- a strategic vision for the next phase (results, ambition and challenges).”
The retreat had a presentation on “centring Borno in a Nigerian and Regional Peace Strategy (setting the Borno model within Nigeria and LCB’s wider conflict resolution approach and harmonising the model with the dialogue initiative)”.
It is expected to produce “a winning communication strategy” and “a legal framework for transitional justice” for the Borno Model with a 100 days action plan for implementation.
The retreat has representatives from the Federal Government, the Nigerian military, the UK High Commission and consulting experts.
