Global Peace Development in collaboration with International Alert Monday organised a workshop in Kaduna to train 50 facilitators from Chikun and Jema’a local government areas on conflict prevention and management.
Addressing the Gendered Mediation and Community Reconciliation Training for Community/Religious Leaders and Dialogue Facilitators, with the theme: “Promoting Stability, Access to Justice and Accountability Project in North-west Nigeria,” Gender Equity and Local Inclusion Officer, Ms Fatima Inusa, said the two-day workshop organised with funding from UKaid is to train people with disability, community, religious, youth and women leaders on the prevention of conflict and how to manage conflict if it happened.
“The 50 participants are community dialogue facilitators drawn from the communities that have been inflicted by conflict to build their capacity on conflict prevention and conflict management. We are here to build the skills that would help them prevent conflict.”
A representative of the Sexual Assault Referral Center, Mrs Grace Yohanna Habin, said preventing conflict is better than managing it.
“We have seen a situation where managing conflict was difficult. So, we want to prevent it. It is everybody’s business to have zero tolerance for violence. Early warning, early response and reporting to authorities can help prevent violence. Though women and children are most vulnerable, but we have 10% cases of men being victims. Between 2019 and July 2022, we have recorded 3,108 cases of assault. We need synergy to fight it together.”
One of the facilitators, Hadiza Ahmad Umar, lauded the training, noting that she would take it to women, school children and Islamiyah pupils.
“I really enjoyed the training because I learnt many things. I learnt how to make people live in peace, the things that can cause conflict and how to prevent it. I also learnt how to meditate. I will take the knowledge home to my people in the village at the grassroots, to the school children and to the Islamiyya students.”
Going down memory lane, a facilitator from Zipak community, Mrs. Paulinah B. Manshop, said years back, people were living peacefully and in harmony.
“Many years back, there was no tribalism, there was nothing like I’m better than you, or I’m richer. The rich used to cater for the poor, and one family can cook for five families and there was love. There was also respect for live, respect for community, respect for leaders of the community, respect for religion and children are trained and disciplines by everybody in the community.”
