Change From Your Negative Way Of Life: Ogbotolomo Advises Bayelsa Youths.

 

The  Women Leader  of  Gbarantoru Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Diniipre Ogbotolomo, has advised Bayelsa Youths to change from actions like drug abuse, smoking  and other forms of social violence which negates through lives and  embrace peace.

 She said that change is the only thing permanent adding that all should embrace the programme brought by Search for Common Ground to make a change.

Speaking at the weekend at Gbarantoru Community during the art and cultural activities showcasing Drama, Weaving of Lobster Trap, Tach Making, Joint Wrestling and Cultural Performance between Nedugo Agbia and Gbarantoru Communities, Okpotolomo advised search programmes should be extended to other communities to  also plant Peace in those communities.

She said: " I advise our youths to change because we have told them the  dangers of violence smoking, taking hard drugs, fighting because of land and so on.

 "This programme has shown us the disadvantages of not understanding one another and killing one another  for nothing sake. With this programme, I'm saying that  everybody should change because change is the only thing that is permanent in life.

 "This search has helped us a lot especially today that both communities came together. They are talking about how peace can reign in our communities, so this programme has enabled us to come together and see the importance of peace in our communities.

 "This programme should be extended to communities that have not had this programme do that they will also see the difference between a  united and disunited community."

Also speaking, the Paramount Ruler of Agbia Community, His Royal Highness, Samuel Tamunopre Fred, said that Search for Common Ground should extend thru stay in the Niger Delta Region.

Samuel Tamunopre Fred, who is 

also  the Community Peace Architecture Chairman of Nedugo/ Agbia communities said  that the programme has helped to foster unity among the participating communities maintaining that the programme has made them to make new friends.

Fred said:"  I'm very happy for this programme. This programme will foster unity and peace among the participating communities. Alot of stories have been told about  the Niger Delta that  they are people that ferment trouble but now these people are here trying to promote peace.

"After saying all sorts of things about the Niger Delta, these people have come to  and find out that the contrary is the case. And they have seen that the place is peaceful even more peaceful than some other places. 

He thanked Search for Common Ground for bringing people together to interact stating that "as a matter of fact, people that we didn't know before, because of this programme, we have been mingling together, interacting and made new friends and that is all about bringing peace to our communities."

"I would want search for Common Ground to stay longer. It is our hope that the  sponsors who are the European Union will extend their stay here which will be better for us because they are doing a lot of programmes apart from what is happening here today."

Debewari Tarila the  Local Peace Architecture Chairman and Secretary Yenagoa Local Government Area,  said that Search for Common Ground with support from European Union has trained people on Peace Keeping that  has helped to build Peace in their different domains.

 He asked that most communities in Yenagoa Local Government should be part of the programme adding Yenagoa Local Government is the base of Bayelsa State.

Tarila however asked that the organization stays a bit longer maintaining that there are still some challenges that need to be tackled.

He said:"' "I commend search for this deliberate and bold step to make sure that there is peace in the Niger Delta.  They have tried but there is still more to do. I want to appeal that the programme be extended so that other communities can benefit from this. This will help the overall peace and security of the  Niger  Delta Area.

"This is the base of the state  and if the base cracks, it will affect the whole of the state.

"They accommodated communities  Gbarantoru and Nedugo Agbia have been so violent. There has  been crisis in these communities but since the Inception of this programme, the peace building process has helped to reduce crisis in these communities.

" If others communities will be captured, it will help us. Now you can sleep in Gbarantoru peacefully. These are community where kidnapping and   crisis had been enormous but today, it is a testimony.

"The coming of search in this  region has added some value to peace and unity in this country. They can still do more because we are still having some challenges."

Speaking earlier, Dandyson Harry Dandyson, the early warning  and early response coordinator of Search for Common Ground said that programme was  is a social cohesion activity introduced by the organization.

He said that the programme " is a connecting activity that brings communities that have issues together to see how they can collectively look for a common ground to resolve their issues.

Dandyson disclosed that the community folks had been participating in Search for Common Ground activities  adding that  "this time, they decided to come together to showcase their culture and use the activity to look for  peace  and resolve conflicts in their communities.

  "This activity is done by three communities Gbarantoru,  Nedugo and Agbia Communities and you can see how peaceful the place is. That is because this communities know that peace is the way forward." He stated.

Search for Common Ground with support by European Union has been in the Niger Delta in the last 18 months and will be rounding up with their peace building mechanism in the Niger Delta  in few days time.