NCAE Trains 80 Community Stakeholders on Peace Dialogue in Nasarawa
By Faith Awa Maji
In pursuance of peace building and reconciliation among communities that have suffered one forms of crisis or the other in some parts of Nasarawa state, Network for Community Advancement and Empowerment (NCAE) has engaged 80 persons as what could be best described as community peace gatekeepers consists of traditional, religious, and political leaders, people with disabilities, community-based organizations, women, and youth groups across 4 local government areas of the state.
The training with the theme: ‘Capacity Building on Peace Dialogue to Ensure Reconciliation and Promote Tolerance among Communities’ is funded by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Government of Japan.
According to the Team-Lead of the Non-Governmental Organization, NCAE Abdullahi Salihu Ari, The eighty (80) stakeholders that participates at the training were selected from the four (4) implementing LGAs of the State namely; Doma, Lafia, Obi and Keana inview of their invaluable roles in ensuring sustainable peace and cohesion at the grassroot level.
“Basically, today’s program titled Capacity building on Peace Dialogue to ensure Reconciliation and Promote Tolerance was aimed at building the capacity of gatekeepers in the selected communities towards promoting peace building, early recovery and ensuring social cohesion and strenghening community security at the grassroot level. Reconciliation and Tolerance are cornerstone of having sustainable peace in the community as such the importance of these training cannot be overemphasize.
He said at the end of the training, it is expected to have the Local Peace Committees who will lead Early Warning reporting for early response.
“The idea is that there should be an organized platform whereby people of these communities will seat down and be able to identify inherent threats in the communities that is capable to deter peace and proffer solutions to it. And in the event that those issues are beyond them, they can leverage on the peace platforms to channel their grievances for appropriate action by the state actors. ”He further stressed out that there will be a handshake between the State Actors and Non-State Actors with the formation of peace committees”.
On his part, the UNDP Program Officer on Peace Building, Ibrahim Aliyu said, “Our agency saw the need for this project in the Middle Belt, and North East because of the rise in Farmers|Herders clashes, communal clashes, and this crisis cannot be solved at state level but at the grass root level.”
He said in pursuance of peace and reconciliation, integrated efforts by all actors has to come into play to achieve lasting peace. Highlights of the training includes questions and answers, breakout sessions and presentation of certificates to participants among others.
Recalled, Network for Community Advancement and Empowerment (NCAE) have, on Thursday last week, trained 200 state actors on Conflict Management and Peace Building to Enhance Community Security and Social Cohesion.
