NEEM FOUNDATION HOLDS INTRA-STATE DIALOGUE FORUM WITH PEACE BUILDING STAKEHOLDERS IN MAKURDI
Stakeholders in a group photograph
By Prosper Okoye –
Neem Foundation in collaboration with Karuna Centre for Peacebuilding and Elohim Development Foundation hosted relevant stakeholders in peace building for an Intra-State Dialogue Forum to assess the level of success achieved in the communities benefitting on the Protecting our Communities Initiative (POCI) and also build synergy towards proffering a lasting solution to the conflict situations in Benue state.
Speaking during the forum, NEEM Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Councellor, Cletus Kaye said the meeting was in line with the Karuna centre for peace building’s “protecting our communities initiative” project, which supports Nigerian communities at the centre of violent clashes between crop farmers and nomadic cattle herders. “Neem has been funded by Karuna centre for almost two years now, in order to heal, restore, and renew a tolerant, resilient and peaceful Benue state, through the rendering of mental health, Psycho-social support; social cohesion, stabilization and reintegration; policy, education and research; communication and advocacy.” Mr Kaye said.
Participants making contributions during the dialouge meeting
“Early warning signals are used to avert the escalation of conflict situations. We are working with about 12 to 15 stakeholders in communities in Guma, and Gwer West local government areas. This is comprised of traditional, religious, youth, and women leaders. It also includes members of various associations,” says the NEEM District Liaison Officer, Saa-Aungwa Uchenna-Egbulefu.
NEEM Foundation’s Community Liaison officer, Nyiyam Ikyerene, revealed that the organization has recorded impressive successes in the dialogues between the Benue state Chapters of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, (MACBAN) using the “reflective structure dialogue tool. “The reflective structure dialogue tool helps parties who are in dispute to understand themselves, and in turn produces trust, which is the foundation for peaceful resolutions,” she remarked.
The Media Officer, Raphael Magen disclosed that all four components of the Protecting our Communities Initiative complemented each other in building peace within and outside the implementing communities. He said the media component leads peace sensitization by projecting successes and learnings from all project activities on every component. He added that, the media component also contributes to peace building by countering fake news, propaganda and misinformation that likely brings tension and causes violence in the communities. He urged participants to make effort and prevent violence anywhere they find themselves because a threat to peace anywhere is a threat to peace everywhere. “I would like to conclude with a plea for us all to like and follow the POCI page on Facebook for easy access to our peace messages and publications. We would appreciate if you share our content as well because it helps in sensitizing the general public. Also, please keep a date with us on Harvest 103.5 FM Makurdi every second Wednesday of the month by 9am as we discuss issues that affect our society,” Mr. Raphael concluded.
During the discussion, NEEM Community Dialogue Facilitators shared some challenges experienced in the course of getting parties in dispute to dialogue and settle. According to Ayinsa Isaac, the Agagbe Community Dialogue Facilitator, “Insecurity is the major setback to our peace dialogue efforts; we are afraid to move into some communities, for the fear of being attacked by ravaging herdsmen.”
While speaking, the Benue State Chairman of AFAN, Aondongu Saaku, lauded the efforts of NEEM Foundation in building peace and ensuring that communities are better protected.
“Seeing a herdsman was a taboo for most farmers, before the peace dialogue intervention of NEEM foundation,” he said. “We have gradually started engaging the herders in dialogue,” he continued, “and we are working on ways to move back the displaced farmers to their ancestral homes.” The Chairman also disclosed that the “herdsmen who attacked Benue state communities are not indigenous herders, but are from bordering state and the Lake Chad.” He said the indigenous Fulanis are not in support of the crisis going on in the communities.
“From our dialogue sessions, they have always blamed the federal government and the National body of MACBAN, for supporting the crisis situation in the country, because they are profiting from it.”
The Benue State MACBAN Deputy Woman leader, Hajiah Zainab Adamu, narrated how she lost her husband, and relatives in one of the communal clashes. “Women are the ones who suffer most in every crises situation,” she said. Hajjah further added that they are working with security agencies to expose mischief-makers, who go about rustling cows and creating more
problems to prolong the conflict situations.
District Head of Nyiev community, Chief Bernard Shawa, and the District head of Mbawa community, Chief Oliver Kaha Chado, all in the Guma local government area of Benue state, in their separate remarks called on the government to disarm herders, as it is impossible to dialogue when they are carrying guns. The Chiefs also asked that the enforcement of the open grazing law be strengthened, so as to ensure peace and order in the communities.
The Gwer West Chairman of AFAN, Agbadi Ucha, noted that the Live Stock Guard, which is the state government agency charged with the responsibility of executing the open grazing law, are loathed by herders. Hence, when an issue of conflict between the farmers and herders arise, they can only go to the soldiers, because the herders listen to the soldiers. He alleged that the herders are against the livestock guards because they impound their cows, and when they come to bail the cows, they are told that some of the cows are dead, and when asked to release the bodies of the cows, they claimed to have died, they would refuse.
The Benue state Director of Livestock and Veterinary Services, who was represented by Dr Ediga Achegbule, while commending the work that the NEEM Foundation does, urged the communities to bring up the challenges they encounter with Livestock guard to the notice of the government, and make suggestions, and request, on how they can be served better.
Benue State police public relations officer, SP Anene Catharine, advised the community stakeholders to collaborate with the police and other security agencies, by providing community security intelligence, which the police can act with. The PPRO, who was represented by ASP Haruna Abdulrahman, said the police needs the communities’ cooperation more than they need the services of the police, therefore, should not be afraid to disclose information to the police, and should also endeavour to become registered members of the “police relations committee.”
Also present was the representative of the Security adviser to the Benue state Governor, Hon. Korihom Don. He also commended the job done by the NEEM Foundation team in the state; and charged them to deepen collaboration with the state government and the United Nation’s peace resolution program, to ensure the sustainability of their achievements.
Highlights of the meeting was the sharing of success stories by community representatives, of how inter communities clashes and land disputes were settled, by various interventions of the Protecting our Community Initiative (POCI).
