The secretary of the National Peace Committee and bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has spoken on the recent peace deal signed by presidential candidates for the 2019 elections.

In an interview with Daily Trust, the bishop disclosed that initiatives like this are necessary, especially in African and developing countries where the trust of the state is severely weakened.

Kukah said: “First of all, these kinds of initiatives have been formal and informal, especially in Africa and developing economies, where the trust of the state is severely weakened and the trust on institutions and their capacity is under question. So you require a bit of supporting efforts, so to say.

“For the peace committee, the best metaphor I use is that of marriage, where two people come together, exchange vows and make promises to each other. But despite making the promises, you require others to continue to encourage them.

“In this case, it could be family members or friends. That is really the idea behind the peace committee.

” The bishop added that the idea for the peace committee was not original to Nigeria.

He said: “It was not original to us. Kofi Anan and other people involved in democracies in developing countries – Myanmar, Peru, Tunisia, Kenya, Ghana other countries – had these kinds of experiences.