..........𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 36 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓  On Friday, May 24, 2021, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, declared open the first retreat of the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. This retreat marks an important step in the timeline to achieve the first set of amendments by December 2025.  It provides the Committee with a crucial opportunity to receive reports from consultants on previous Constitution amendment bills, deliberate on those that have been rejected or not assented to, and propose action plans for addressing the reservations that led to their rejection. The primary goal

..........𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏  The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, received Directors of the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies (IPSDC) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, led by their Co-Chairman, Chief Chikwe Udensi, on a courtesy visit to his office.  The meeting was primarily focused on discussing strategies for revitalizing the South East Region, with a special emphasis on the collaboration between the Institute and the Peace in South East Project (PISE-P). The Deputy Speaker, who is a strong advocate for the development of the South East region, commended the Directors for their commitment and interest in collaborating with the PISE-P.  He acknowledged their role as key stakeholders in achieving the common goal of rebuilding and revitalizing the South

.........𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒔 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚  Identity-based conflicts have been a major hindrance to achieving sustainable peace in many countries around the world.  These conflicts arise from differences in religious, ethnic, cultural, or political identities, and often result in violence, discrimination, and human rights abuses.  In Nigeria, these conflicts have been particularly prevalent, leading to loss of lives and property, and hindering the country's efforts towards development and unity. Recognizing the urgency of addressing these conflicts, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, recently addressed a 2-day national engagement focused on "Mapping Actors to Reduce Identity Conflict".  The event, organized by the International Republican Institutions (IRI) and Na