Emma Sunday
In a significant move to ensure improved security of lives and properties and ensure peaceful coexistence among residents, the Rivers State Government has expressed its willingness to partner with an European Funded Organisation, SEARCH for Common Ground (SFCG), to promote peace and security in the state.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Charles Beke disclosed this at a two day training/capacity building on conflict management for Rivers State Peace Architecture (SPAs), organised by SEARCH in collaboration with SDN, PIND, and AAPW, as part of the organization’s community centred approach to transforming criminality and violence in the Niger Delta region.
The Commissioner who described the programme which trained participants on Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) to crisis and conflict management as apt, stated that the present administration led by Sir Siminalayi Fubara prioritizes citizens’ wellbeing and will collectively take deliberate steps that will promote peace, security and human development in the state especially at the local areas.
Chief Beke stressed the need for those saddled with the responsibility of promoting peace in communities, local government areas and the state to be more proactive, build their integrity and live up to expectations.
The Commissioner called for a behavioral change amongst youths and other residents while pledging 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 into the ministry and one of the ways we could achieve that is to attract some 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 in contact with Search for Common Ground.
“This partnership with them is very important to us because its really something we ought to do in order to cause our youths in our various local government areas to disengage from unnecessary activities that has made them to seem as non-useful citizens, whereas, we can give them a platform.
“So, the programme is very app, in a way to curtail youth restiveness and other crisis conflicting various local government areas and some rural communities.”
To achieve the desired goals of keeping peace and managing conflicts and crisis 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, be truthful, lead by example, and ensure that the right things are done always, especially when it comes to empowerment of any kind for the people, and advocating for community rights and sharing same to beneficiaries, especially for the oil producing communities.
“Part of the challenges we have in our communities are the heads because they are corrupt and not straight forward and sincere in carrying out their functions. So, my advice to them is that they should be upright, transparent, sincere and proactive inorder to command respect from their subjects.
“Another thing is about Justices of Peace (JP), this is a very wonderful programme that the ministry of Justice through the government has created to add values into our various Communities. But the issue is that most of the people who receive this award to be ‘Justice of Peace’, don’t even know what they were given. Some of them just answer go about with the name ‘JP’ without doing what they are supposed to do to maintain and promote peace. A Justice of peace is supposed to be interfacing with DPOs and traditional rulers to promote peace in their localities. they are supposed to be role models to the children in the society.
“I think what the ministry of Justice will do is to revive that office, maybe call all the Justices of Peace in the state to a conference in the ministry and remind them what their responsibilities are, and then ask them to form clusters in their various communities and see how they can be an aide to the government to make sure the communities are properly managed,” he said.
He however commended the efforts of Search for Common Ground in 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 focuses on enhancing the skills and knowledge of State Peace Architectures (SPAs) to carryout their functions effectively and efficiently in a professional manner looking at the terms of reference given to them in supporting 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 local government areas of different Niger Delta states was necessitated by the perennial criminal and violence which according to him has caused slow development of the region.
He said the project was also aimed at addressing divers conflicts that has divided communities in the region, resulting to lack of unity among them, affecting socio-economic development and several other issues that leads to 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 towards owning the project, see that the local peace institution are set up and functional, and as well ensure there is sustainable linkage between the project and the government at all levels.
The two days workshop and training programme for stakeholders had representatives from the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, Security agencies from the Police, DSS, NSCDC, Federal Road Safety Corps, Traditional Rulers, Community leaders and the media and members of the Civil Society Organisations, etc.
