NGO Outlines Future Plans For Peace Building Efforts in Adamawa and Taraba States.
By Christiana Babayo, Jalingo.
Search for Common Ground,a non-governmental organization, has outlined its sustainability plans for the peacebuilding efforts in Adamawa and Taraba states.
The update was provided during a one-day sensitization and orientation program organized for listenership clubs in Adamawa and Taraba, held in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, on Friday.
The organization, which initiated the peace efforts through the COMITAS project, Contributing to the Mitigation of Conflicts over Natural Resources Between Farmers and Herders in Adamawa and Taraba states, reported numerous success stories to include improved farmer/herder relations, capacity building, educating communities on conflict resolution mechanisms among others.
The Project Manager, Mr. Gambo Wada, while speaking stressed that the sustainability plans of the project are a key concept for the organization, as it will ensure the continuity of the efforts made even when the project wraps up.
“For all the components of this project, we have made sustainability plans. This is to ensure that we don’t just wrap up the project and then the peace efforts discontinue. We intend for this project to be sustained because peacebuilding is a continuous effort.
“Some of the sustainability items include office spaces, tents, tables, chairs, radio sets, among others, for all the various components of the COMITAS project, which include the Community Response Network (CRN), Community Security Architecture Dialogue (CSAD), Peace Architecture Dialogue (PAD), and Forum for Farmer-Herder Relations in both states,” he said.
On his part, the Media Coordinator of the project, Mr. Victor Baba Okpanachi, said apart from the engagements with community members and stakeholders, the project has been airing a radio program “Wuro Lafiya” for about two years now.
According to him, the program has been aired across six radio stations in Adamawa and Taraba states for almost two years, providing an avenue for communities to listen to programs on farmers and herders relationships, as well as discuss some issues surrounding the farmer-herder conflicts in both states.
While buttressing the importance of sustainability in every endeavor, Okpanachi said, “As part of sustainability plans, we are liaising with the management of the stations to sustain the program beyond the COMITAS project. This is to ensure that the duty of promoting peace remains with the people even when we are done with this project.
“Having heard stories of how these communities have been able to transform conflicts and find common ground whenever there is a misunderstanding, it will not be good to just wrap up and this good initiative leaves with us.”
Some of the participants who spoke to our correspondent all expressed satisfaction with the project, adding that the project is a timely intervention and that they will ensure its continuity.
According to a participant, Christopher Sunday, who is also the Chairman, Community, Security Architecture Dialogue (CSAD) in Lamurde, the project initially covered five local government areas in Adamawa State, including Demsa, Lamurde, Numan, Mayo-Belwa, and Girei. But as the need arose to encompass other affected communities, the project widened its scope across Adamawa and Taraba States with 32 Communities now benefitting from the peace buidling efforts.
Sunday praised the project’s impact, citing improved relationships between farmers and herders, as well as increased awareness about conflict resolution mechanisms.
