Abdulsalami, Kukah, Others To Address Indigene-Settler Issues Tuesday

A national dialogue on Nigeria’s longstanding indigene–settler question will take place on December 2 in Abuja, with former head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar and the convener of the National Peace Committee, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, leading the conversation.

In a joint statement they issued yesterday, the tow leaders said the meeting, which will hold —at Destination Hotel, Abuja, had become necessary amid Nigeria’s complex sociocultural landscape, where more than 250 ethnic groups coexist under a constitution that promises equal citizenship.

They warned that despite this constitutional ideal, the indigene–settler divide continues to determine access to opportunities, entrench exclusion, and, in some cases, spark violent communal conflicts.

According to the statement, the forum will provide a space for inclusive dialogue on the historical, legal, cultural and social roots of the divide, while interrogating the narratives and institutional practices that sustain it.

The organisers said the goal is to develop strategies that promote equal rights, belonging, and peaceful coexistence across all communities, thereby strengthening Nigeria’s democratic fabric.

Since its establishment in 2014, the National Peace Committee has focused on promoting peaceful coexistence and deepening democratic processes through dialogue among key actors across the country.

While much of the committee’s work has centered on mitigating electoral conflict, Abdulsalami and Kukah noted that the NPC continues to engage with issues that threaten national cohesion.

They added that, in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, the upcoming discourse will examine Nigeria’s national identity under the theme: Revisiting the Indigene–Settler Question.