The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for greater reliance on Early Warning and Response Systems (EWRS) to mitigate socio-political crises in Nigeria. This was discussed during a media briefing in Enugu, hosted in partnership with Transparency International in Nigeria (TI-Nigeria) and funded by the Open Society Foundation Africa (OSF-Africa).
Speaking at the event, CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, noted the rising number of violent conflicts worldwide since the 2000s and stressed the need for mechanisms like EWRS to prevent crises from escalating. He explained that effective conflict prevention requires early intervention and collaboration across all levels of governance and society.
Musa emphasized the importance of involving at-risk communities, decision-makers, and stakeholders, including security and disaster response agencies, in EWRS. He noted that CISLAC’s efforts, supported by OSF-Africa, focus on building local engagement and strengthening response mechanisms to protect civilians.
However, Musa identified key obstacles to efficient implementation, including logistical challenges, inadequate technology, poor remuneration for personnel, inter-agency rivalry, and a lack of strategy for safeguarding information. He also highlighted issues like sensationalized media reports, widespread drug abuse, and mismanagement of security funds as factors that intensify conflicts.
To address these challenges, CISLAC proposed forming robust community networks for intelligence sharing, raising awareness on drug abuse in schools, improving resource allocation for response institutions, and fostering collaboration between traditional leaders and communities to address potential conflict triggers.