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Board of Trustees

Members of the Board of Trustees

Our board of trustees is made up of diverse individuals with relevant expertise and requisite field experience to drive the cause of the organisation.

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Barr. Saidu Jallo

Barr. Saidu Mohammed Jallo

Board Chairman
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Amb. Abdullahi A. Omaki

Executive Vice Chairman
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Tinuola Makinde

Board Secretary
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Alhaji Lawal Garba

Board Member
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Hajiya Rabi Gambari

Board Member
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Solomon Kio

Amb Solomon Kio Amieyeofori

Board Member
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Amb. Peters Emuze

Board Member
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Rakiya Omaki

Board Member
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Alhaji Shettima Bukar

Board Member
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Sir Bola Abimbola

Board Member
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Amb. Mohamed Lahai O'Bai Samurai

Sub-Regional Board of Trustees

(West Africa)

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Amb. Mohammed El-Nokally

Sub-Regional Board of Trustees

(North Africa)

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Prof. Zakaria Ousmane

Sub-Regional Board of Trustees

(Central Africa)

Goodwill Message from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Abdullahi Omaki Community Peace Initiative Network (AOCPIN)

The absence of Peace and Stability within Communities and countries impact most negatively, the development, progress and growth of such communities and countries. Communities across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, including those within the Federal Capital Territory Administration, continue to be inundated with multi-dimensional threats that continue to deny them peace and stability, invariably impacting negatively on them and the nation, in their strides for development.
At the roots of these multiple challenges to peace across communities in Nigeria, are undoubtedly, the deeply-rooted intra and inter community mistrusts over shared scarce resources, specifically, access and ownership of land, water and other means of livelihood. There is also the skewed manipulation of indigeneship/citizenship contestation, ethnicity and religion by the political class. Most significantly, the absence of justice and sanctions by the various levels of authorities, from Communities, local Governments, States and Federal, have complicated the search for peace. In fact, the politically-motivated or driven-crises have proved to be so difficult to contain and or manage, hence represent very significant threat to the safety and survival of communities and ultimately, Nigeria. Herein, lies the imperative need for renewed efforts, especially, at the community-levels, to promote concerted engagements with all the stakeholders in a whole-of-the society approach to reclaim our communities and nation.
This initiative by my friend and school-mate at the School of Basic Studies of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, to deliberately establish levels of Networks of interactions and awareness engagements for harmony in our communities, deserve commendations and our emphatic support. I am not surprised at all that Amb. Abdullahi A. Omaki, Founder of the Initiative for this Network for Community Peace, decided to embark on this journey for Peace, in the way and manner he has conceived of the challenges and their significant negative impact on Nigeria’s harmony, cohesion, stability, development and progress. As a retired career Ambassador of our country, he is not a stranger to the enormous benefits of consistent engagements that seek to utilise, negotiations, employing all levels of interactions and weighing options that must revolve around providing enabling environment for justice to be administered as fairly as possible to all and for all to be winners.
When he approached me and sought my views on his initiative to provide this platform as contributions to enhance Nigeria’s national efforts at containing, managing and resolving some of our nation’s multiple and complex threats, starting from the Community level, I warmly welcomed the idea and encouraged him as no efforts should be underestimated in our continuous search for sustainable peace. He later reverted to me, with a request to Chair the Board of Trustees of the “Abdullahi Omaki Community Peace Initiative Network.” This was a request that in all honesty, I could not turn down, having previously encouraged him to set-up the platform. I am personally convinced, that only a secured environment can guarantee peace and stability of our communities and country for development and progress to take roots.
The membership of the Board of Trustees that he has constituted was without my inputs but certainly reflective of Amb. Omaki’s inner mind, on what and how he intends, to confront the challenges he has set-out to address as contributions for our national development. The membership of the Board reflects largely his wish and a scenario of a whole-of-a-society architectural framework of engagements. This way, he hopes that some of the threats to our collective safety and survival can be contained, managed and/or resolved at communities-levels as well as nationally. We have diplomats, versed in negotiations, security, rule of law and human rights, business people with grass-root touches as well as national and international partnership, civil society people, who often provide voices for the voiceless and the generally un-informed component of our society, gender and demographic balance. Half of the Trustee members have versed working experiences in Government and the Financial Sectors of our economy. The Board certainly possesses what Amb. Omaki calls an “eclectic mix of competences.” I hope therefore, that these would be invaluable, in addressing and resolving the huge challenges in our communities, nation as well as other countries in our sub-region and continent.
It is pertinent to stress that the layered-approach to building and sustaining peace in our communities, country and sub-region, would find strong-footing in our resourced-based communities, specifically the oil and gas sectors and in the context of the Petroleum Industry Act as well as in Mineral resources areas and their relevant Acts. The success of these engagements in these resources communities, would not only contribute to intra-community peace but stability that permits effective focus on development, hence progress of our communities, Nigeria and hopefully, our sub-region and Africa.
On behalf of my colleagues on the Board, I wish to congratulate Amb. Abdullahi Omaki for his vision and the bold step he has taken. We promise to stand by him as we share in his commitment and determination to contribute whatever that is necessary for Nigeria to be peaceful and stable, for development and progress to take roots. Peace, Stability and Development of Nigeria, is an excellent omen for the collective progress of West Africa and indeed, the rest of the continent.
Alhaji Lawal Garba
Chairman
Board of Trustees (AOCPIN)

Saidu Mohammed Jallo graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria as a lawyer and is a holder of Masters in law (LLM) from University of Dundee, Scotland and Masters in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Started his working career in 1989 with Habib Nigeria Bank Limited and subsequently has acquired vast years of Managerial experience by holding positions such as Head Corporate Services, Company Secretary and Legal Adviser (New Africa Merchant Bank), Principal Legal Officer (National Board for Community Banks), Company Secretary/ Legal/ Adviser (Intercity Bank Plc), Regional Manager and later Zonal Head of Unity Bank Plc. He was Company Secretary/Legal Adviser of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (March 2011 to June 2022). In all these institutions he was saddled with several ad-hoc responsibilities through Committees membership and or Task Forces.

He acquired early education from LEA Primary School, Rigachikun, Kaduna, Barewa College Zaria, Claverham Community College, Sussex England and Bexhill Sixth Form College, England. Over the years Saidu Jallo has received trainings in both local and international institutions, including Management courses organised by Euro Money, Lagos business School, London Business School, Wharton School and Harvard Business School. 

Saidu has served as Director on a number of boards including Unity Trustees Ltd, Kada Micro Finance Bank Ltd and Union Bank Plc and is a member of several professional bodies, including the Nigeria Bar Association, Institute of Debt Recovery Practitioners of Nigeria, Institute of Loan and Risk Management, Insititute of Directors, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSANN), Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN), Nigerian Institute of Chartered  Arbitrators, Kaduna Chamber of Commerce , Industry Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) and the Nigeria -Turkish Business Council.

Saidu Jallo enjoys farming, travelling and walking. He is married with children and is a strong advocate for good Corporate Governance practice.

Ambassador Abdullahi A. Omaki, nooc, fsma, retired from the Nigerian Foreign Service in June 2013, after thirty-three and a half years of meritorious service. He had a distinguished service career, which took him across Europe (UK and Netherlands), the USA (Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN in New York), and anchoring in Africa (Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Chad), where he served as Head of Chancery in Bangui, Consul-General in Bata and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Ndjamena-Chad. He relates easily with issues of the sub-regional security and socioeconomic development which he has “consistently argued must be holistically viewed and addressed from the prisms of both bilateral and multilateral instrumentalities. These ways, he believes, would enhance harmony and cohesiveness which are cornerstones for sustainable good governance and peace”. Some of his colleagues address him as a “Desert Diplomat” while others politely refer to him as the “Sahel Diplomat”, both of which he proudly accepts.

In addition to his overseas tours of duties in the three continents, Ambassador Abdullahi Omaki has diligently served in various Divisions and Departments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria. These services spanned across Administration, Protocol, West Africa Department, International Organisations, and Inspectorate Departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was Deputy Director in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Director of the International Organizations Department, and Under-Secretary (Regions and International Originations Directorate).

Upon retirement from service in June 2013, he became the Pioneer Executive Director of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy, and Development (SCDDD) from February 2014 to June 2020. In that capacity, he demonstrated leadership styles that promoted interpersonal skills leading to effective teamwork that contributed to leading the SCDDD to prominence.

In addition to the Mid-level and Senior-level Diplomatic Certificate courses of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, he holds a BSc degree in Political Science, ABU Zaira, 1979 and an MA Degree in International Relations and Development, of the Institute of Social Studies, 1988, The Hague, The Netherlands.

In June 2020, he was appointed as Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, domiciled in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. In this capacity, he contributed to speeches, statements, analyses of global socio-economic and political events as well as advice and recommendations.

In all of these positions, he garnered experiences that have become an eclectic mix of competencies that have contributed to driving Governance and Organisational priorities in complex situations.

He is the Founder and Executive Vice- Chairman of the ABDULLAHI OMAKI COMMUNITY PEACE INITIATIVE NETWORK (AOCPIN). He is currently, a member of the Body of Neutrals (Mediator) of the Nigeria’s Up-stream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s Alternative Disputes Resolution Centre (ADRC).

Tinuola is a demographer, statistician, and public health persona with 7+ years of experience in health management, research, and data analysis. She has a Bachelor of Science in Demography and Social Statistics from Obafemi Awolowo University and is currently pursuing a Data Analytics Professional Certification from ALX Ghana.
Tinuola is passionate about using her skills to address health disparities across diverse populations. She has worked on a variety of projects, including; a project to promote peace and democracy in Nigeria, where she collected data on conflict and violence, developed survey questionnaires, and wrote reports; project to combat gender violence, where she analyzed data on income disparities and conducted spatial analysis; project to improve education for vulnerable children, where she conducted surveys, organized training, and developed a database; project to promote family planning, where she trained staff, organized educational programs, and distributed health materials.
Having worked under the Weaving Resilience project for West Africa, part of which she carried out environmental scan of civic space threats in West African Countries, and contributing to the civic space monitor information and data for public use and decision making. Tinuola is a highly skilled and experienced data analyst with a proven track record of success in research and program evaluation. She is also an excellent communicator and team player with a strong commitment to social justice. She serves as the Secretary, Board of trustees for AOCPIN.

Mal. Lawal Garba made outstanding contributions through his  long-standing dedicated efforts spanning almost four decades within the Nigerian and International Economic Sectors by his consistent support, guidance and investments in various industries. These includes Agricultural, Oil and Gas, Maritime, Property Development, Banking, Aviation and Energy sectors. He resigned from the banking career in 1985 to pursue private enterprises. He setup Minsource Nigeria Limited which became one of the largest cocoa beans exporters in Nigeria. In 1987, He setup Trobell International Limited which is now the leading crude oil pre-shipment inspection company in Nigeria. In 1989, in one of the earliest privatization exercises in the country, His company Emerald Packaging Company Limited bided and won the purchase of the majority shareholding of the cocoa industries limited which was established by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo in early 1960’s. 

He currently sits on the board and has investments in the following companies: Taj Bank Limited, Quantilex Nigeria Limited, Trobell International Limited, Trobell Power and Energy Limited, Trobell Fertilizer and Agro-Allied Limited, Trobell Aviation, Avia Infrastructure Services, Emerald Packaging Limited and Emerald Holdings Limited. He has used his knowledge of these industries to reduce unemployment by creating numerous job opportunities for the public and to also eradicate poverty and provision of healthcare through philanthropic contributions. It is pertinent to mention that in addition to other numerous accomplishments, Malam Lawal Garba who is a fellow of Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors holds a world record as being the first graduate Quantity Surveyor to set up the property cost control section in the banking sector

Rabi Gambari has over 25 years of Post Graduate work experience; after her Youth Service at the Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Bank Kaduna 1985 – 1986(now Bank of AGRIC). She was employed by the organization in 1987 as an Administrative Officer II. She was privileged  to serve in various departments of the bank. Amongst the many positions she held, were PA (Personal Assistant) to the Executive Director Services; Desk Officer in charge of recruitment, promotion and disciplinary actions in the office of the Director Admin and Services; Officer in charge of Management/Staff Industrial and Public Relations; Operations Department as Project Officer, and Head of Statistics Department.

She progressively rose to the rank of Senior Assistant Manager and Deputy Manager and voluntarily resigned from the bank in 1998 to pick up an appointment with All State Trust Bank Plc as Deputy Manager and Head of marketing at the Kaduna and Maiduguri branches respectively. While in the Commercial Bank, She served in various capacities; as head Public relations and customer care also head of treasury and private placements.

Retired from the bank in the year 2000 to start a personal business Enterprise. Started a career in the media industry in 2005 with the LEADERSHIP Newspaper as head of advertisement, Special Project and Business Development. As head of the department, she coordinated and directed the advert manager and his team to ensure proper in flow of adverts and Placement. She developed special projects for government establishments and private organizations, designing special focus, showcasing and branding these establishments for revenue generation for the media organization.

In 2015, LEADERSHIP NEWS PAPER GROUP appointed her Executive Director Conferences and Strategic initiatives. She developed and organized series of LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPERS Group yearly Conference and Awards for Notable personalities, industry leaders and credible government officials. 

She Voluntarily resigned her appointment with THE LEADERSHIP Newspaper, to take up an active role in the management of the Media and public Relation Consultancy Firm; BLUEDROPS NIG. LTD, which she founded.

She is a registered Member of the All Progressive Congress (APC), played very active roles in the election process of 2015. She was a Member field Operations during the 2015 campaigns and saddled with monitoring and evaluating the election materials as well as the APC committee member of INEC Relations in preparation for the 2015 election. A member of the BSO election process monitoring situation room at Lobito Crescent.

In 2019, she was the Secretary of ABIA state congress as well as member of The Buhari Support Organization (Media and Publicity) Campaign strategy. 

Kio Solomon Amieyeofori, MFR, served as Deputy Director General for Research and Analysis (DDGR&A) at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), from 2018 to 2022.

Before this role, he held various positions within the Nigerian Foreign Service. In New York, he was the Minister and Political Coordinator for the Nigerian delegation to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In Geneva, he served as Minister for Disarmament Affairs and as a Delegate to the Conference on Disarmament.

Amieyeofori holds a Master of Science in Intelligence and Strategic Studies from the University of Wales in Britain, a Master of International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Lagos.

Ambassador Peters Sunday Omologbe Emuze is a Nigerian diplomat with over 40 years of experience in the Foreign Service. He has held a variety of positions, including head of mission at the Nigerian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, director of the 2nd United Nations Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, and deputy director of the 3rd United Nations Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He is currently an Independent Expert at the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UNCESCR). He has attended international conferences in 45 countries and published a book on the UN role in the Rwanda and Burundi genocide.

He represented Nigeria as a member of the Human Rights Council. He served as the coordinator for the African Group of Ambassadors on WIPO matters, president of the UN Conference on Disarmament as well as served as a member of the delegation for Nigerian Strategic Partnership Agreements with China and the European Union. He was the secretary of the Political Systems Subcommittee of Nigeria’s Electoral Reform Committee.

He is a highly experienced and accomplished diplomat with a deep understanding of international relations. He is also a strong advocate for human rights and economic, social, and cultural rights.

Rakiya holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, an MA in Human Resource Management, and an MSc in International Business, as well as Certificates in Management, Project Management, Terrorism and Security Studies, Organic Farming, Monitoring and Evaluation and Public Relations. She has over 15 years of cumulative experience in Administration, Public Relations, Project Development and Research.

Alhaji Shettima Bukar is a seasoned Travel Consultant and an astute businessman with over two decades of extensive experience in business and financial investments. He is the Managing Director of Sal Muftah Travel and Tours Ltd, a premier travel agency in Nigeria, renowned for its expertise in airlifting pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj. As a visionary entrepreneur, Alhaji Bukar Shettima also founded Sal Muftah Investments Ltd, a dynamic venture offering a diverse range of services designed to address various business needs. His company excels in providing innovative solutions across multiple disciplines, including logistics, events management, agro-allied services and general contracts.

An innovative thinker and exceptional manager, Alhaji Bukar is known for his relentless pursuit of business innovations and opportunities in emerging markets. He had previously served as a Protocol Officer at the Borno State Government House, Maiduguiri.

Alhaji Shettima Bukar is a graduate of Business Management from the University of Maiduguri. He is married and blessed with children, balancing his professional achievements with a fulfilling family life.

Sir. Bola Abimbola Emmanuel, is a social entrepreneur and currently serves as the Senior Program Manager and Head of Programs, Communication and Advocacy, at Savannah Centre for Diplomacy Democracy and Development (SCDDD).

He has close to two decades of experience working on democracy, conflict management, public policy, community development and institutional reforms.

Through his works, he has proactively engaged institutions and critical stakeholders across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and a few Africa countries, such as;   Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Uganda, South Africa, Ethiopia, etc advocating for improved socio-economic and political ecosystems. Sir. Bola, as he is fondly called is a graduate of Psychology from the University of Jos, Nigeria.

Sir Bola is a fellow of the United States Institute of Peace Generation Change as well as the International Republican Institute Generation Democracy Fellow amongst others.

Ambassador Mohamed Lahai O’Bai Samurai was born in Tonko Limba Chiefdom, Kambia District, in the North-Western region of Sierra Leone. He pursued his higher education at Howard University in Washington, DC, USA, where he studied African Studies, Political Science, and International Relations.

Throughout his distinguished career, Ambassador Samurai served as the Minister of Lands, Housing, and Environment in Sierra Leone. He also held the significant position of Undersecretary for Africa on the Executive Committee of the World Islamic Call Society in Tripoli, Libya, for a decade. Additionally, he served as Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the Maghreb region, excluding Egypt, with his residency in Tripoli. His diplomatic responsibilities extended to countries such as Sudan, Malta, and Chad.

Ambassador Samurai has a passion for reading biographies, studying African and international political trends—especially in relation to Africa and the Middle East—and is actively involved in agriculture. He also engages in Islamic Dawa.

Ambassador Mohamed El Nokaly is a career diplomat with more than 35 years of professional experience in EU, MENA &Africa. He served in Germany, Kuwait. He was Consul in Milan (Italy ) charge d’affaires in Sudan, Consul General in Benghazi and Ambassador to Tripoli. He ended his diplomatic career as Ambassador to Togo. He was DCM of the Egyptian embassy in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion and after the liberation(1989-1995) He was also Ambassador to Tripoli during the Libyan revolution (2008-2012)

He is actually the Executive Director of the Egyptian European Council (EEC), meanwhile teaching International Relations to post graduate students at the French University of Egypt (UFE) . He is also an active member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA).

Previously he worked for two years as Senior Advisor for International Affairs at the Egyptian Space Agency in charge of developing international cooperation in space.

He is holder of the degree of the Egyptian Institute for Diplomacy, BSC of economics from Alexandria University and a Master of Arts in French Littérature from Université Paris Sorbonne .He is a keynote speaker in international conferences about Libyan conflict , illegal immigration and terrorist groups in the Sahel

Prof. Zakaria Ousman Ramadan is a highly accomplished expert in strategic studies, agronomy, economics, and genetics, with a career spanning diverse global institutions and leadership roles. He currently serves at the Chadian Centre of Strategic Studies and Prospective Research under the Think Global & Act Smart Centre.

Prof. Zakaria has held numerous positions in international organizations, including: International Labour Organisation in Senegal; UNICEF office in Chad; World Food Programme across multiple countries: Sudan (North & South), Ethiopia & Eritrea, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Gabon.

He has also been a Senior Consultant for notable organizations such as: World Bank (WB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNICEF, Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), G5 Sahel, African Union, European Union (EU), and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Prof. Zakaria served as the Chairman of Ecobank Chad and is a Senior Advisor to several heads of state. Additionally, he is the Honorary Consul of Pakistan to Chad.

Prof. Zakaria’s diverse academic background includes studies in agronomy, economics, genetics, and statistics at prestigious institutions such as: Georgetown University, Washington D.C., Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, and  Universidad de Salamanca, Spain.

He has held teaching positions at various institutions across the world, including: Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra, Ghana, École de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beye (EMP-ABB), Bamako, Mali, University of Khartoum, Sudan, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey, Qatar Centre for Strategic Studies, and University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Prof. Zakaria is fluent in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, reflecting his extensive international experience and ability to navigate diverse cultures and contexts.