SPSP 2026: Experts chart path to sustainable peace

Punch Nigeria · Gabriel Oshokha ·

Experts at the Society for Peace Studies and Practice conference called for stronger security governance and inclusive development to achieve sustainable p

GABRIEL OSHOKHA examines key deliberations at the Society for Peace Studies and Practice’s 20th International Conference and General Assembly, where experts called for stronger security governance, inclusive development and Africa’s greater representation in global peace and security decision-making

SINCE its inception in 2000 at the University of Ibadan, the Society for Peace Studies and Practice has been spearheading peacebuilding, security and conflict resolution efforts, using its yearly International Conference and General Assembly as a platform for driving deliberations on compelling issues. The convergence of vice-chancellors, professors, other scholars, fellows of the society and professionals across various fields from October 5 to 9 at Lead City University, Ibadan, was another move towards realising a resolve that has now lasted 26 years. The roll call of dignitaries included former Oyo Deputy Governor, Moses Adeyemo; SPSP Board Chairman, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro; the Alawo of Awoland, Osun State, Oba Adegboye Abdulrasaq; and former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. It was a homecoming, just as it was an opportunity to present well-researched ideas tailored to the vision and mission of SPSP. Achieving sustainable peace and security was the focal point of the discourse, which had the theme, “Security Governance and Global Dynamics.”

Setting the tone for the event, the Vice-Chancellor of Lead City University, Prof. Kabiru Adeyemo, said the conference should provide solutions to burdensome issues in the polity, including terrorism, violent extremism, cybercrime, climate conflicts, economic instability, political polarisation, misinformation, irregular migration and transnational crime. He identified focal subsets of society as crucial to guaranteeing a secure society. “Where governance is weak, insecurity thrives. Where justice is absent, conflict grows. Where citizens lose confidence in institutions, instability becomes inevitable. Security is not merely the protection of territorial borders. Security is about people. It is about access to justice. It is about trust in institutions,” Adeyemo said.

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