Rivers, EU partner on peacebuilding, conflict resolution in Niger Delta

The Rivers State Government has indicated interest in partnering with a European Union-funded organisation, SEARCH for Common Ground (SFCG), to promote peace and security in the state.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Charles Beke, made the pledge at a two-day capacity building on conflict management for Rivers State Peace Architecture (SPAs), organized by SEARCH, as part of the organisation’s community-centred approach to transforming criminality and violence in the Niger Delta region.

The program trained participants on Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) to crisis and conflict management.

The Commissioner described it as apt, noting that the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara prioritises citizens’ well-being and will collectively take deliberate steps that will promote peace, security, and human development in the state, especially in the local areas.

Beke stressed the need to be more proactive in promoting peace in communities, and local government areas, and to build integrity and live up to expectations.

The commissioner called for a behavioural change among youths and other residents while pledging the government’s continuous resolve to provide solutions in conflict management, collaborating with security agencies, traditional rulers, community heads, and reputable NGOs such as Search for Common Ground, among others.

He said, “When I was appointed Commissioner, I needed to add colour to the ministry, and one of the ways we could achieve that is to attract bodies like the European Union or any other foreign missions that we can partner with to see how we can impact our communities. That is how I came into contact with Search for Common Ground.

“This partnership with them is very important to us because it’s really something we ought to do in order to encourage our youths in the various local government areas to disengage from unnecessary activities that have made them seem like non-useful citizens, whereas we can give them a platform.

“So, the programme is very apt, in a way to curtail youth restiveness and other crises affecting various local government areas and some rural communities.”

To achieve the desired goals of keeping peace and managing conflicts and crises in the localities and the state, Chief Beke said traditional rulers, Justices of Peace (JPs), and community heads must turn from being greedy, corrupt, and selfish to being upright, transparent, sincere, and truthful. They must lead by example and ensure that the right things are done always, especially when it comes to empowering the people and advocating for community rights, particularly in oil-producing communities.

“Part of the challenges we have in our communities are the heads because they are corrupt and not straightforward or sincere in carrying out their functions. So, my advice to them is that they should be upright, transparent, sincere, and proactive in order to command respect from their subjects.

“Another issue is with Justices of Peace (JP). This is a very wonderful program that the Ministry of Justice, through the government, has created to add value to our various communities. But the issue is that most of the people who receive this award to be ‘Justices of Peace’ don’t even know what they were given. Some of them just go about with the title ‘JP’ without doing what they are supposed to do to maintain and promote peace. A Justice of Peace is supposed to interface with DPOs and traditional rulers to promote peace in their localities. They are supposed to be role models to the children in society.

“I think the Ministry of Justice should revive that office, maybe call all the Justices of Peace in the state to a conference and remind them of their responsibilities, and then ask them to form clusters in their various communities and see how they can assist the government in ensuring the communities are properly managed,” he said.

He, however, commended the efforts of SEARCH and its partners, Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND), and AAPW, for fostering unity and peaceful coexistence among communities in Rivers and other Niger Delta States, assuring a stronger synergy between the Rivers State Government and the organisation.

Speaking, the Capacity Building and Training Officer, Project for SEARCH for Common Ground, Dr Philip Kalio, said the training focused on enhancing the skills and knowledge of State Peace Architectures (SPAs) to carry out their functions effectively and efficiently in a professional manner, looking at the terms of reference given to them in supporting the reduction of criminality and violence in Rivers and other Niger Delta States.

Kalio noted that the project, which was being implemented by the organisation across 66 communities in 33 LGAs of different Niger Delta states, was necessitated by the perennial criminality and violence that, according to him, has caused slow development in the region.

He said the project was also aimed at addressing diverse conflicts that have divided communities in the region, resulting in a lack of unity among them, affecting socio-economic development, and several other issues that lead to the marginalisation of certain groups in the communities and states in the Niger Delta region.

He charged participants at the event to be passionate about the project, tasking them to work toward owning the project, ensuring that local peace institutions are set up and functional, and ensuring there is a sustainable linkage between the project and the government at all levels.