Stakeholders across Five (5) Local Government Areas in Adamawa State have hailed Three (3) European Union (EU) funded organisations for contributing to building peace and unity in Five (5) LGAs.
The stakeholders noted with satisfaction the role played by the organisations in building peace and unity amongst farmes and herders in Numan, Lamurde, Demsa, Girei and Mayo Belwa LGAs.
The EU funded organisations include; International Organisation of Migration (IOM), Search for Common Ground (SFCG), and Mercy Corps.
Cross section of stakeholders drawn from the LGAs made the commendation at a townhall meeting on Contributing to the Mitigation of Conflict over Natural Resources between farmer and herder communities held in Yola.
The event provided opportunity where participants including members of the academia, representative of EU, traditional and community leaders reviewed the activities of organisations on peace project in the affected LGAs.
The participants however recommended for the extension NGOs stay in Adamawa as well as the establishment of Conflict Resolution and Social Integration Commission and the deployment of transhumance tracker tools to address conflicts.
Speaking at the event, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who was represented by the Commissioner of Ministry of Reconstruction, Reconciliation, Reintegration and Human Services, Elijah Tumba, reiterated government's commitment towards ensuring peace and security.
Governor Fintiri appreciated the organisations for its effort towards enhancing peace in the state, and restated his administration' readiness towards providing favourable atmosphere for peace to thrive.
In her remarks, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, pledged to continue to support peace building project, and urged the stakeholders to consolidate on the peace so far achieved.
Samuela, specifically appreciated Governor Fintiri for his administration's effort in supporting peace building, adding that the COMITAS project has greatly contributed to the objectives of National Livestock Transformation Project (NLTP).
On his part, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Office of the Vice President of Nigeria and National Coordinator of National Livestock Transformation Programme, Dr. Andrew Kwasari, advocated for synergy with the European Union towards implementing NLTP.
Dr. Kwasari, stressed the need for the use of modern technology to address farmer herder conflicts, saying that NLTP has designed a model whereby herders and farmers will be mutually integrated for productivity, peace and unity.
Baring his mind, a Lecturer with the Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Professor Kalep Fili, stressed the need for more research in order to identify the root cause of the problem.
Earlier, in his presentation, the COMITAS Project Manager, Amos Nderi, stated that during the dry season the country often witness transhumance herder migration into Nigeria from countries such as Chad, Niger, Libya in search of water and pasture.
Several other stakeholders who spoke during the event applauded the EU organisations and state government respectively for its effort in the sector, and pleaded with EU to consider extending time frame of its organisations in the state.
No comments:
Post a Comment