Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre Receives United Nations Accreditation Officer From New York

Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre Receives United Nations Accreditation Officer From New York

The Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre (MLAILPKC), on Monday 21 January 2025, received the representative of the United Nations Integrated Training Service (ITS), Lieutenant Colonel Khatun Hosneara at the Centre in Jaji, Kaduna State. The UN representative arrived at the Centre from New York, to conduct a 4-day evaluation and assessment of the Comprehensive Protection of Civilians Course (CPOC).

The purpose of this visit is to determine whether the course meets the necessary standards for recertification and re-accreditation, ensuring that it continues to provide high-quality training and education on the protection of civilians.

The visit was at the instance of the Centre, following a formal request to the United Nations to recertify and re-accredit the Course which is due for UN review and consideration for re-accreditation for another four years period.

The ITS official is poised to carry out assessment of some critical facilities in the Centre which are prerequisite for the conduct of CPOC, such as the Training Camps, lecture halls, language translator, library, ICT Center as well as the quality of facilitators and the CPOC training programme.

Upon her arrival, the UN Official was received by the Commandant MLAILPKC, Major General Ademola Adedoja and given a detailed brief on the centre’s training and administrative activities at the conference room. Lieutenant Colonel Khatun also attended and observed the CPOC lectures which is currently ongoing in the Centre, as part of the assessment.

In his remarks, the Commandant MLAILPKC, Major General Ademola Adedoja welcomed the UN Official to Nigeria. He expressed gratitude to the UN for the trust placed in the Centre, and reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to adhering to UN standards, while also maintaining the prestigious “Centre of Excellence” status bestowed upon the Centre by the UN.

He said the training curriculum of the Centre is designed to effectively impart the participants with both practical and theoretical aspects of the training.

On her part, Lieutenant Colonel Khatun Hosneara, thanked the Commandant for the warm reception accorded her, noting that her task is to gather the necessary information required by the UN for the re-accreditation of the CPOC. She emphasized that her assignment is to ensure the centre’s facilities and training programmes meet UN benchmark, and that her goal is not to criticize or find faults unnecessarily.

The current peacekeeping environment is complex and has highlighted the need for better measures to protect civilians. To address this, the UN introduced the Comprehensive Protection of Civilians Course (CPOC) to teach peacekeepers about the importance of safeguarding civilians and the strategies to prevent them from harm in conflict zones.

As a certified UN training Centre, the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre (MLAILPKC) has been training participants on CPOC, alongside other several individual specialist courses approved by the UN, over the years.