The European Union funded organisation, Search for Common Ground (SFCG), has released a report on Social Media Listening (SML), which helped to track, analyse the online engagements and activities of individuals around specific issues, trends like drug abuse, security and cultism in the Niger Delta region.

The social media validation gave 26 recommendations with hopes that government and other relevant organisations will reflect on the key findings and build capacity of individual through advocacy and policies formulations to guide the region.

Speaking in Asaba, Delta State during the validation of the Social Media Listening report, Sunny Dada, the Mass Media and Information Management Coordinator, SFCG, said, key stakeholders like journalists and regulatory agencies in the oil sector, in the drug related sector, security agencies and others are carried along to drive the process with the aim of seeing actions in the region.

The validation meeting brought together key stakeholders from Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta states.
Part of the recommendations include, expand multi-media campaigns to counter glamourisation of drug abuse and cultism, build stronger partnerships with influencers, peer education and community leaders to drive youth- centred behavioral change, conduct periodic validation meeting to compare online findings with offline reactions ensuring alignment with local realities, among others.

Dada expressed hope to see reflections of the action plan in their programmes.

He revealed that over 10 million people have been impacted through the Programmes of SFCG in the region.
He said, “The SFCG project has actually reached so many persons. You can’t use 18 months to solve a problem that has lasted for 70 years but we have to start from somewhere and what I mentioned which is a scratch is already yielding massive success stories from the beneficiaries and that is why we are motivated.”

He stated that Finance has always been the challenges hampering development in the region but he, however, said that the stakeholders should not look at the financial aspect in implementing the task . “if we continue to look at money and the region is plunged into another round of violence, won’t there be money to sort the region out?”

“So, the issue of finance shouldn’t come in at all and that is why we are calling on all relevant agencies government, donor agencies and everybody to come in quickly, put in the relevant funding and ensure that reports like this are promoted.

Also speaking at the stakeholders meeting, Secretary, State Peace Architecture, Bayelsa State, Preye Inebaraton, added that as agents of change , individuals can decide to change their concept adding, “the whole essence is to see how we can minimise crimes and violence in the Niger Delta.”

He added that “if we are not peaceful, we can’t preach peace to the next person. For us in Bayelsa, we have decided to institutionalize the peace building process by driving the Bayelsa State Peace Commission.

“We can build peace at a greater level. We can do peace building at a community level with institutions and laws. Criminals can be flushed out this region only when we collectively stand for Peace.

Ann Godwin from Rivers State who spoke on behalf of Rivers State participants and a member of the common ground journalist forum, said that for Nigeria Delta to achieve development, it must leverage on technology.

She added that members of the common ground journalist forum have also used the platform to canvass for peace in the region.