Pulse.ng : Participants of Mercy Corps training pledge to use locally-driven peace initiatives in resolving conflicts

By Zubairu Idris

Participants of the Mercy Corps Interest-Based Negotiation (IBN) training, have pledged to apply the ‘Locally-Driven Peace Initiatives’ learnt, to bolster peaceful coexistence in their respective communities in Katsina State.

The Senior Programme Manager, Mr Philip Ikita, stated this at the end of a four-day training on Friday in Katsina.

“The participants have collectively resolved to use the knowledge they have acquired from this training to facilitate peaceful coexistence in different communities across the state,” he said.

The programme manager added that the training was conducted under the Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) programme.

Ikita said that the project “is funded” by the European Union (EU), and being implemented in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Center of Democracy and Development (CDD).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the training is: “Promoting Locally-Driven Peace Initiatives and Preventing Conflict through Interest-Based Negotiation (IBN), and Community and Social Development Resource Management (CSDRM).

NAN also reports that the participants mapped their communities and identified Community and Social Development Resources available, resources management and challenges to the peaceful coexistence.

The participants, comprised farmers, herders, local government officials, and Community-Based Organisation (CBOs) from Batsari, Safana, Faskari, Dandume and Sabuwa local government areas.

They drafted action plan for implementation in their respective communities with a view to bring lasting peace.

One of the participants, Mustapha Shehu, a youth leader from Faskari, said the training was timely and important in view of the current situation they found themselves.

He said that he would impact what he learnt on his colleagues and become peace advocate.

“Most of the youths are at their adolescent period, they see what they do as right.

“We will sit down with them educate them about the importance of peace and dangers associated with conflict,” he assured.

Pastor John Abiodun, stressed the need to forgive one-another, rob minds, and work together to rebuild peace in the society.

He pointed out that they needed to identify areas where one has offended the other and sought for forgiveness to strengthen the peaceful coexistence.

Abiodun identified some factors responsible for the problems to include grazing lands and water point, and stressed the need to resolve those issues for peace to reign.

The Senior Programme Officer, Ms Lynda Nkechi-Emmanuel, urged the participants to do more in educating people in their respective communities on crisis prevention, response and resilience.

She urged the participants and the public to feel free to contact Mercy Corps through- Email: info@mcnigeria.com, mobile phone: 0800 4444 1111 (Toll-free Hotline), WhatsApp: 0908 898 8350 and website: www.mercycorps.org.

NAN reports that certificates were presented to the participants by the senior programme manager, Philip Ikita.