Shutdown Of Tertiary Institutions Down By 90% As Government, Unions Partner To Enhance Conflict Intervention Skills Of Administrators And Union Leaders

Tertiary Institutions have joined forces with ten Government Agencies and Civil Society Organizations including Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Chartered Institute of Mediators and Conciliators, National Commission for Colleges of Education, National Board for Technical Education, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Ethics Resource Centre Nigeria to improve industrial relations skills and put an end to local conflict induced shutdowns and disruptions of academic calendar.

The disastrous consequences of routine shutdown of tertiary institutions in Nigeria and the resultant disruption of academic calendars inspired critical stakeholders to launch Project Harmony to promote peace and harmony in institutions and put an end to conflict escalation, shutdowns and disruptions of academic calendars.

Project Harmony is a multi-stakeholder initiative for promoting speedy win-win resolution of conflicts to prevent their escalation to avoid shutdowns and disruptions of academic programmes and calendars. The Project is facilitated by Federal Ministries of Education, Federal Ministry of Labour, NLC, TUC, NCCE, NBTE and professional conflict resolution and industrial relation agencies.

The Project has six core components including: establishment of Conflict Resolution Centres (CRCs) in institutions to serve as early and quick intervention and mediation Platforms; inauguration of institutional Harmony Action Committees(HACs) to drive implementation of Harmony initiatives; appointment of high performance Heads of Institutions as Peace and Harmony Ambassadors; training of Administrators, Union leaders, CRCs, HACs and Ambassadors on conflict intervention skills; distribution of Conflict Intervention Resource Books and Manuals; and media campaigns for attitudinal re-orientation campaign to promote culture of pro-active early intervention in conflicts.

262 Executives have been trained in two streams and deployed in 138 institutions as conflict intervention teams, ambassadors and action committees are achieving commendable results. Statistics confirm that localized conflict- related shutdown of institutions reduced by 90% within three months of launching the Project. Streams 3,4 and 5 of the training programme hold in Dannic Hotel Enugu (26-28 July); NTI Kaduna (9-11 August ) and Excellence Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos (23-25 August)

A high powered National Steering Committee was empanelled to drive the implementation of  Project Harmony initiatives. The members include: Comrade Haruna Mustapha (Nigeria Labour Congress); Hassan Anka (Trade Union Congress);Godson N. Ogbuji (Federal Ministry of labour and Employment); Ogbifo Gloria (Federal Ministry of Education);Nneka Ikelionwu ( Institute  for Peace and Conflicts Resolution.); Dr Fidelis Obo(National Commission  for Colleges of  Education); Ibrahim Jamiu(Ethics Resource Center Nigeria, Coordinating Agency): Ike Onyechere MFR( Ethics Resource Center)

As part of the advocacy initiative of the Project, the National Steering Committee visited the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, mni, to thank him for NLC support and brief him on progress and plans of the Project.

Comrade Ayuba commended the Project and said that the Nigeria Labour Congress will continue its support and facilitation. He called on education stakeholders to work together through Project Harmony to facilitate speedy win-win resolution of conflicts in tertiary institutions with a view to preventing escalation, shutdowns and disruptions of academic calendar.

He said that the success of Project Harmony will provide lessons and templates for successful intervention in other types of conflict in Nigeria including political, economic, social, cultural, communal, ideological and security related conflicts.

IBRAHIM JAMIU.

PROJECT DIRECTOR.

July 19, 2016.