As the world marks the International Day of Peace 2026, The Kukah Centre joins communities, institutions and peacebuilders around the world in reaffirming that peace is not merely the absence of violence, but a condition that enables people and societies to live with dignity, security, opportunity and hope.
The theme for this year’s observance, “Investing in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day,” is a timely reminder that peace is neither automatic nor the responsibility of governments and institutions alone. The United Nations has emphasised that peace requires deliberate action, inclusive communities, dialogue, respect for human dignity and sustained investment in the conditions that allow people to live and prosper together.
For Nigeria, this message carries particular significance. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths, but managing that diversity requires institutions, leaders and citizens who recognise that political, ethnic, religious and social differences need not become sources of conflict. National peace is not an abstract aspiration. It determines whether children can go to school, businesses can operate, communities can thrive, citizens can participate in public life, and families can plan for their future with confidence.
For more than a decade, The Kukah Centre, through its role as Secretariat to the National Peace Committee (NPC), has supported efforts to strengthen a culture of dialogue and peaceful democratic competition. From the historic Peace Accord ahead of the 2015 General Elections to successive national and sub-national Peace Accords, the Committee has provided a platform through which political actors and other stakeholders can publicly commit themselves to peaceful conduct and the lawful resolution of political differences.
The Kukah Centre’s peacebuilding work also extends beyond the electoral space to strengthening the conditions for peace and resilience within communities. Through the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme, the Centre works to build stronger and safer communities through improved local security and accountable service delivery. The programme supports engagement with community security structures to strengthen collaboration, accountability, inclusiveness and responsiveness to the realities of the communities they serve.
These complementary areas of work reflect an important principle: peace must be built before it is needed. It requires sustained engagement with political parties and candidates, electoral institutions, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, the media and communities. It also requires stronger relationships between institutions and the communities they serve, accountable service delivery, dialogue, mediation, responsible communication and the willingness of stakeholders to address tensions before they escalate.
As Nigeria enters another significant period of political competition, this responsibility becomes even more important. Political parties and politicians have publicly committed themselves to issue-based campaigns and peaceful democratic competition. The Kukah Centre therefore calls on all political actors to give practical meaning to those commitments, not only in the language of campaign platforms, but in their speeches, rallies, media appearances, social media communications and interactions with supporters. Political competition must remain a contest over ideas, policies, leadership and the future of Nigeria. It must not become a contest in which inflammatory rhetoric, misinformation, hate speech, ethnic or religious mobilisation, intimidation or violence are used to secure political advantage. The responsibility for the words that are spoken, the messages that are amplified and the behaviour that is encouraged rests with those who choose to use them.
The same responsibility extends to political supporters and citizens. No political ambition should require the sacrifice of another Nigerian’s safety, dignity or livelihood. Citizens should resist attempts to turn communities against one another, verify information before sharing it, reject inducement and intimidation, and refuse to participate in violence in the name of political loyalty. The media also has a critical role in this effort. At a time when information can travel faster than facts can be verified, responsible journalism is an important component of national peace. Accurate reporting, verification, balanced political coverage and responsible treatment of inflammatory claims can help prevent misinformation from becoming a trigger for conflict.
Peace, however, cannot be reduced to what happens during elections. It is reflected in how neighbours resolve disagreements, how communities respond to difference, how institutions exercise authority, how security services engage with citizens, how leaders communicate with communities and how citizens treat one another. Peace is built in our homes, workplaces, schools, places of worship, communities and institutions every day.
This is why the 2026 International Day of Peace theme speaks directly to Nigeria’s present reality. To invest in peace is to invest in trust; to invest in dialogue is to strengthen our ability to resolve differences without violence; and to invest in accountable institutions and responsible citizenship is to invest in the stability and future of the country. Peace requires sustained attention not only when tensions are already visible, but through the everyday systems, relationships and institutions that shape how people experience security, justice and participation.
The Kukah Centre therefore calls on political parties, candidates, public institutions, the media, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, young people, women and every Nigerian to make peace a daily responsibility. The commitments made through the Peace Accord must continue to find expression in political conduct, public communication and civic behaviour throughout the electoral cycle. At the community level, efforts to strengthen accountable and inclusive security and service delivery must equally remain part of the work of building peaceful and resilient societies.
Nigeria does not need to agree on everything to live peacefully. We need the maturity and institutional commitment to disagree without destroying one another.
On this International Day of Peace, The Kukah Centre reaffirms its commitment to supporting the National Peace Committee, strengthening community resilience and promoting dialogue, trust, accountability and peaceful democratic participation across Nigeria.
Signed:
Fr. Atta Barkindo, Ph.D
Executive Director, The Kukah Centre
Head of Secretariat, National Peace Committee
Building Trust. Promoting Dialogue. Safeguarding Democracy.
