AfriPeace Organizes Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Training for Communities in Plateau State

The African Initiative for Peace Building and Advancement (AfriPeace) in collaboration with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in other to achieve its mandate of pursuing peace through knowledge and action brought together Religious Leaders, Community Security Outfits’ Leaders, Community Leaders, Youths and Women Leaders from some Areas in Jos North LGA.

The two-day training workshop which started today is aimed at impacting knowledge and building capacities of community leaders and Leaders of community security Outfits on peace building and how to resolve conflicts to enhance sustainable peace.

The project theme is “beyond the crises of indigeneship and citizenship – building and strengthening Structures for Community-led Reconciliation and Conflict Recovery in Northern Nigeria (Kaduna, Kano & Plateau State”

Participants were drawn from Dutse Uku, Angwan Rimi, Angwan Rukuba and Rikkos all in Jos North LGA.

Resource Person at the dialogue session, Mr. Godwin Okoko the Director of Programme at Plateau State Peace Building Agency took the Participants through a wide range of issues on how to mitigate and resolve conflict in the society.

Mr. Godwin spoke on thr roles of Christian/Muslim organizations, Community Associations, Youths/Women Groups and traditional organization in conflict resolution, reconciliation and conflict recovery saying they have critical roles to play in peace building and diffusing hate/provocative speeches.

He charged the participants to always come up with superior arguments to counter hate and misleading messages/contents.
He underscored the need for genuine reconciliation, forgiveness, love, tolerance and mutual respect for peace to thrive. He also spoke on the need for constant dialogue, ability to accommodate one another and compromise.

He also took the participants on violent extremism, stages of reconciliation and approaches of community reconciliation and conflict recovery.

Speaking at the workshop, the Director of Administration Operation Rainbow, Mrs. Keziah Dung who represented the Permanent Secretary Cabinet and Special Duties, Mr. Cornelius Shualbel lauded AfriPeace for the programme and its efforts in peace building. She spoke on the effectiveness of the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) and how it is preventing conflicts, arresting of criminal elements, rescuing victims from hoodlums and foiling of kidnap attempts.

Mrs. Comfort Zawaya, Programme Officer of AfriPeace said the mandate of the organization is to foster and build sustainable peace in Communities with Plateau, Kaduna and Kano being the focal States.
She said the organisation is deploying a bottom-top approach to enhance sustainable peace at the community level. She said the essence of the training is to impact knowledge, build the capacities and improve their skills of community security apparatus and community leaders in peace building and conflict resolution.

She said everyone has a role to play in the peace process in the State and Nation at large.

Some Participants, Ms Atong Markus and Mr. Ibrahim Shuaib who spoke at the end of first day lauded the idea of the training and commended AfriPeace for impacting knowledge in them on peace building process and how to resolve conflict for sustainable peace in their respective communities.
They promised to step down what they will learn to their communities and other persons. They said the training is impacting and building their capacities on how to foster peace and resolve crisis.

There was also group discussion on the topics being discussed.

The two-day training workshop is holding in the Conference Hall of Operation Rainbow Surveillance Unit at Dutse Uku Jos North LGA.