Peace in Nigeria will not be won in Abuja boardrooms or at international summits. It will be won at the community level — in village squares, school classrooms, market stalls, and mosque courtyards — by ordinary Nigerians who have decided that unity is worth fighting for. ENPUAI’s network of over 2,000 trained Community Peace Ambassadors is the beating heart of that effort.
Here are five of them.
Aisha Bello — Plateau State
Former schoolteacher, now full-time community mediator. Has facilitated 23 dialogues in Jos and its environs since 2022. Known for her ability to get armed young men to sit in the same room and speak honestly. “The weapons are fear wearing a mask. Remove the fear and the weapons become unnecessary.”
Emeka Okafor — Anambra State
University drop-out who found his vocation in ENPUAI’s youth programme. Now coordinates a 60-person youth peace network in Onitsha, monitoring social media for inflammatory content during election periods and responding with fact-checking and community dialogue.
Hauwa Mohammed — Borno State
Survivor of displacement from Bama LGA in 2015. Trained as an ENPUAI facilitator in 2021. Works exclusively with IDP camps in Maiduguri, facilitating dialogue between returnees and host communities about land, resources, and the trauma of years of conflict.
David Nwachukwu — Rivers State
Former militant who went through ENPUAI’s reintegration and peacebuilding programme in 2020. Now trains other at-risk young men in conflict resolution. Has been involved in preventing three potential clashes in the Niger Delta region since 2022.
Fatima Aliyu — Kano State
Programme Officer for ENPUAI in Kano. Coordinates the state’s interfaith women’s peace circles. In 2023, her team mediated seventeen neighbourhood disputes before any of them required police involvement.
“We are not heroes. We are just Nigerians who believe that a better Nigeria is possible — and have decided to act like it.” — Emeka Okafor, Youth Coordinator, Anambra State
To support the work of ENPUAI’s community peace ambassadors across Nigeria, consider becoming a volunteer or making a donation. Every contribution — of time, skill, or resources — directly funds the work described in this story.