Non-Inclusivity, Driving Conflict In The Niger Delta: Search

 

Non- Inclusivity has been identified as one of the major drivers of Conflict  in the Niger Delta Region.

This was  disclosed by Victor Baba Okpanachi, Lead Consultant, Search for Common  Ground an European Union assisted  Non Governmental Organization billed to transform Criminality and Violence In the Niger Delta through a Community Centred Approach.

Speaking at the weekend in Yenagoa during a three days  refresher training for community leaders, Okpanachi maintained that non inclusivity was one of the core drivers of conflict in the Niger Delta Region.

He said that that reason why the NGO has been organizing series of trainings for the relevant Stakeholders to make sure that all are included in decision making in communities of the region.

Okpanachi stated:" Non-Inclusivity is a core driver of conflict in the Niger Delta.  The women and the youths even the physically challenged are saying that they are not being carried along. It is a key factor in the region and that is also what informed the region not to be  transformed  both in infrastructure and in  others things.

"It is a major issue in every aspect because the youths  have also complained that it is part of the reason why they go into drugs  and are  depressed. They said that it  is because they are not being carried along in decision making and day to day running of their their communities. 

"And that is why we engage them  so that they  will go back to their  comunity to have an engagement with their community leaders in order to be part and parcel of decisions making and I can tell you that it is already transforming their communities and people are transformed.

Victor Baba Okpanachi  thought  the participants how to identify conflict  and identify module urging them that "before you can identify conflict, you need to know who you are talking with. Where he is from and why he is doing what he is doing.

He said that culture,  religion,  the society one  finds himself in and the people he  meets, all shape how one  addresses issues adding "all these things shape your orientation as a person and how you see the person when addressing issues. That is why when you see somebody do something, it is because of the person's up bringing and religion.

He said that Search for Common Ground with the support of EU and other partners  has been trying to address the systemic drivers of conflict and to transform it  adding  that  "to be able to this, we had to go to the root cause of this conflicts. 

"That was why we first of all trained youth leaders because for any conflict or violence to take place, the youth must be there. We found out that the older ones don't have the strength to cause violence, violence is always caused by the youths.

"So we had to first of all transform the mindset of the youths. As far as Conflict is concerned.   We had to also understand why they engage in violence. Part of what they said was non- inclusivity. The women said that they were not included, youth also said they were not  included in community leadership."

Also speaking, John Paul Okoye, working in Early Warning  Response  Department  of Search said that the refresher was to retrain the community leaders as important agents to bring about change in their communities.

He said that "We train them and build their capacity  so that it will help them to live in a more peaceful society adding that the  training equips and builds community leaders capacity in handling issues within their communities.

He said through the training,  all will be Looking at conflicts from a win, win situation point of view not a win and loose point of view which is commonly founded in  the communities.

 He said "This training builds their capacity by equipping them with skills they need in handling conflicts and violence within their communities.

This training is an eye opener to comunity leaders they have been trained on how to address the root causes of conflict in their communities.

"The community leaders were thought about inclusive leadership, conflict transformation, empathy and how to address community issues.

So search came to build the capacities of these leaders on how best to address some of these issues to ensure  that conflicts transformation  moves from the adversarial to the non adversarial approach.

"Rather than addressing conflicts from the point of a winner and a looser, he disclosed  that the training will  equip them for addressing the conflict from win win point of view."That means, all  will come together and collaborate in addressing conflicts rather than excluding some persons in addressing the issues.

The training  he said will  help community leaders in ensuring that the voices of women, the voices of men, youths  even  non- community members are heard  amd that inclusion,  participation are collaboration are   built and from there communities will begin to live at peace."

Keng Keng Ati, Capacity Building and Training Officer in Search for Common Ground in his reaction said that the training was on inclusive  leadership  and conflict transformation for community leaders across Bayelsa State.

He said that they were being equipped with fresh skills, reinforcing what they already know  "and adding value to their leadership skills.

With that , he said that  when leadership is  inclusive, people lend to act in less adversarial manner  and respond favourably to decisions that are being made when they are part of it.

"The focus is to ensure that we  begin to work with youths and women,  with security and law enforcement agencies,  to ensure that they address those drivers of criminality and violence across that the Nigeria Delta.

 "We expect them to return to their communities and act in a specific  way that build communities,  that promote concessions and  collaboration that will lead to inclusion of every facet of the their community in decision making processes. 

"When there is a measure of fairness in such processes, conflict tends to reduce  and people will  begin to act in ways that  ensures cohesion. We are expecting them to return to their communities and act in those ways that promote cohesion and build society and our society will be formidable." He said.

Seiyefa Otuogha female Chief of Nedugo Community  and one of the participants in her reaction said that she  learnt about early warning  and early response adding that "when you see that situation of things are somehow, you shouldn't   wait until the problem comes before you act. Once you see the sign, make the necessary moves to see how that thing can be resolved before it escalates.

One of things that cause conflict according  to other is land dispute  and peer group  adding that "as I go back now as a community woman chief, I will tell my women to put eye on their children.

"Also, the issue of herders and famers conflict.It isa  very big challenge that the communities are facing. Our Cassava farms, these herds men will enter inside Etelubu in Negudo Ogbia (in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State). The   women will plant Casavas and these herdemen will go in and vandalize it. Not only Etelebo, even across Nedugo,  they are even saying that the herdemen have their shelter there..They come out in the night and destroy  all the Casava.

"The herdemen should be stopped from coming to our lands to destroy our farms lands. When these farms are destroyed, we come back with empty hands so we want this to stop."

  Another participant, HRH Igonia Dakolo,  Paramount Ruler  of Gbarantoru Community  said 

"Coming here has broadened my knowledge on how to handle issues.

I will now use modern techniques in handling issues so that  my community  will be at peace. 

"Sometimes, you have to let go for peace to reign so that it will be a win win situation. And I will try as much as I can, to do that for peace to reign in my community." 

Recall that the eighteen months programme which ends this month ending is a  “Community Centred Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence In the Niger Delta Project of Search for Common Ground a peace building Non- Governmental Organisation.