The call was made on Monday at a one-day seminar titled, ‘A Whole-Society Approach to the Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria’, held at BUK.
Speaking at the event, BUK Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Haruna Musa, said the presence of EU ambassadors and key stakeholders reflected a shared commitment to regional stability, development and human security.
Musa said northern Nigeria continued to face complex security and development challenges requiring collective action by government, academia, civil society, traditional institutions and international partners.
“No single institution can solve these challenges alone. It requires working together.
“As a university, BUK is ready to contribute research, data and community linkages to support evidence-based interventions,” he said.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Gautier Mignot, said insecurity remained one of the major challenges confronting northern Nigeria.
He stressed the need for inclusive and preventive approaches to addressing violence and conflict across the region.
Mignot, who led a delegation of EU ambassadors, said the bloc remained committed to supporting Nigeria through investments in education, peacebuilding, governance reforms and economic development.
“The delegation chose Kano for its annual diplomatic mission because of the state’s strategic importance as one of Nigeria’s major development and commercial hubs,” he said.
He said the EU was implementing development programmes across Nigeria under its Global Gateway investment strategy.
According to him, the programmes cover climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, digital infrastructure, health and education.
“International cooperation remains the solution to many of the global challenges confronting humanity, including climate change, inequality, insecurity and disinformation,” Mignot said.
He disclosed that the EU had expanded its focus to North-West Nigeria with a €300 million package.
Mignot added that the intervention complemented €730 million in grants and more than €1.5 billion in development support between 2021 and 2027.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, said the Federal Government remained committed to protecting lives, property and peace in vulnerable communities.
Represented by the Director of State Liaison in the Office of the NSA, Lami Chinade, Ribadu stressed the importance of non-kinetic approaches.
He said sustainable peace required prevention, inclusion, dialogue, resilience, opportunity, trust-building and social cohesion.
Ribadu said the Office of the NSA was developing a National Peace Framework to strengthen stakeholder coordination and promote community-centred peacebuilding initiatives.
He added that every child retained in school, every youth productively engaged and every dispute resolved peacefully strengthened national security.
Earlier, Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir-Yusuf, said peace and security required collaboration among governments and other critical stakeholders.
Represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Alhaji Musa Suleiman-Shanono, the governor commended the EU delegation and BUK for organising the seminar.
In a presentation on the drivers of conflict in northern Nigeria, Prof. Maikano Madawaki of BUK’s Department of Sociology identified key causes of insecurity.
He listed ethnic tensions, communal disputes, political violence, marginalisation, substance abuse, unemployment and weak governance as major factors fuelling instability.
Madawaki called for stronger institutions, improved access to education and social services, effective border control and greater investment in youth development.
He said addressing the root causes of violence was essential to achieving lasting peace and security across the region.