In March and April 2022, PIND’s Peacebuilding Program organized capacity-building training for 32 (15 male, 17 female) participants from upland communities in Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States. PIND’s Integrated Peace and Development Unit (IPDU) trained the participants on volunteerism, leadership, conflict analysis, and identifying and reporting conflict incidents through the Early Warning Early Response (EWER) system.
Some trainees have since gone on to carry out interventions in their local communities: mediating land disputes and community tensions, mitigating violent criminality, and incidences of violence against women and girls. While peace actors planned some interventions, others were spontaneous and driven by the responsiveness triggered by the training and knowledge gained.
Some examples of peacebuilding actions that participants of the training took to sustain positive peace in their communities include:
In Umuocha village, Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area (LGA), Abia State, Mr. Echeodo Emmanuel witnessed a boundary dispute between two men: one who bought land and surveyed it and a farmer who went farming on portions of the same piece of land. Mr. Emmanuel explained, “I have farmland around that area. On my way there, I witnessed a disagreement between two men claiming ownership of a plot of land, and I stepped in to help resolve the issue. We called both parties and the initial owner of the land who sold it. We agreed to trace the boundary of the land using the pillars. In the end, the farmer saw that he had encroached on the land and apologized for his actions. Thus, we resolved the issue without violence“.
Jennifer Essiet from Ugbelle community, Oguta LGA, Imo State, described how she stepped in to help prevent a domestic violence situation. “I resolved a fight between a man and his brother’s wife who was about to cut the woman with a machete. The woman’s husband was out of town at the time, and she lived with her husband’s family. I was on a bike when I saw the incident, so I stopped the bike man and ran towards the two having a heated argument. I called the lady and begged the man to allow me to go with the lady, to which he agreed. I took the woman aside to talk to her. After the conversation, I told the woman her mistakes and advised her to embrace peace. She agreed with me, and we went back to meet the man who was already calm enough for a dialogue that led to peace.“
Patience Njoku reported that in the Obelle-Ibaa community in Omuma LGA, Rivers State, “there were continuous shootings in the community. When I investigated, I learned the fight was between the government security forces and people engaged in illegal oil bunkering within the community. There was some friction over monies earned from the illegal business leading to a fight that resulted in the killing of military personnel, causing added tension in the community. I had a meeting with the community ruler and other stakeholders involved in the issue. Consultations are ongoing, and we have scheduled meetings to resolve the conflict further.”
Golden Toba also reported his experience in the Gio community, Tai LGA, Rivers State. He noted that “there was a tussle between the Paramount Ruler and the Assistant Paramount Ruler, leading to friction within the council. People, especially youth, stoned chiefs on the streets. I took a neutral ground on the matter to intervene between the groups through consultations involving critical stakeholders to resolve peace in the community. We called for a town hall meeting where the Chief’s Council resolved to seek peace and are now back to working together.”
In Duburo community, Khana LGA, Rivers State, Amb. Vincent Gbosi said, “The youth contributed a large sum of money to build a bus stop in the community. However, during a road reconstruction, the bus stop was pulled down, causing conflict between the youth and the government. The youth stopped all work on the road, and the government eventually pacified them with cash. The community chiefs received the money but refused to release it to the youth, causing friction between both parties. At a meeting to resolve the issue, I addressed the youth, asking them to dialogue with the chiefs to prevent further tension. Both parties came to a truce, and the bus stop was rebuilt.”
In Ikot Akpatek Community in Onna LGA, Akwa Ibom State, Paul Abraham reported, “During the recent primary elections in my community, most party delegates’ names were missing. An argument ensued, which would have resulted in a severe election crisis. So I met the Local Government Chairman to have a conversation with him. I asked him to allow me to talk to the persons involved so we can settle the issues and have a level ground to avoid the conflict from escalating into violence between the youths. He agreed, and we conjointly talked to the parties involved to make peace. We had a long conversation trying to figure out the way forward and decided on an equitable solution.
PIND’s peacebuilding training has contributed to developing individual capacities to promote peace and prevent violent conflicts in households, local communities, and the Niger Delta. In 2020, for example, we empowered 211 peace actors with applicable skills in conflict management, with 207 taking actions to mitigate conflicts. Through this training, PIND has continued to develop new skills among people of the region, positively changed attitudes & interactive patterns, and supported its application within communities.
While PIND Foundation continues to play its part, we solicit the support of and collaborations with other stakeholders to intensify efforts toward peacebuilding.
