Let The Elders Endeavor Tell Us The Truth: Gesikeme.

 

As Search For Common Ground continues to push for more Sustainable Peace in the Niger Delta Region,  Sopuwari Gesikeme has advised that elders and parents in the region should endeavor to tell the younger ones the truth at all times.

Gesikeme from Odi Community in Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State who was a participant in a meeting organized  on Tuesday at KOLGA Secretariat by Search For Common Ground with support from the  European Union, disclosed that most of the crisis brewing in most communities especially land disputes and other disagreements  occur "because the elders don't want to say the truth.

 Stating that they are shying away from telling the younger ones history, he advised that they should endeavor to tell the younger ones the history of most of the things brewing crisis in communities.

He said: Parents should tell us history. Our parents should tell us the truth. But, it they continue to take sides, crisis will continue to occur.

" Let them say it as it so that the problem will not be there again and people will know how to solve the problem. Say it as it is so that communities will embrace peace and will live together in one accord."

Also speaking, Truman Abiama,  in his response  advised that all should embrace dialogue, negotiation and reconciliation in settling issues.

He advised that all should live as brothers and sister maintaining that in his community they don't go to court because of little misunderstandings.

He said: " In my community, we beg instead of going to court. It is our culture. We don't even pay if we spoil someone's property. We rather beg for mercy. If you ask for money, when it is your turn, you will pay through your nose. It is already an established value in my community."

 Speaking on the topic impact of Boundary Dispute on Peace and Development, the resources person, Forcbri Ineya  a public affairs analyst stated that  when boundary disputes are not properly handled, it results to insecurity.

Disclosing that there are  two types of Peace building, he said that It is either reconciliatory or adversarial adding that  when it is adversarial, it is likely to snow ball into violence, crisis while  reconciliatory is more of dialogue.

He advised the participants they should use   arbitration, mediation and reconciliation to settle disputes disclosing that  arbitration gives opportunity for the parties to be heard.

 He said:" The leadership of the communities should address  these crisis. Even family heads and chiefs should arbitrate to make sure that there is peace.

"Litigation is cost intensive so I suggest you use arbitration, negotiation, reconciliation and  dialogue to settle disputes.

"There should be peace building structures in our communities, we don't have them and even when those structures are there, they are not honest. They  dispence injustice." He regretted.

Speaking earlier,  Oppwill Ayitu, the team lead and Governance/ Advocacy coordinator, Search For Common Ground, in  his assertion maintained that Communication in Conflict Resolution is very key advising that all should learn to device means to solve their problems.

 Maintaining that there must inclusivity for peace to reign in communities,  he advised that there should be youth  and women representation in  all that the community do.

He said: "There should be youth representation in all that communities are  doing. There should also be women and physically challenged representation in all so that everybody will be happy.

"There is no more cultural values because cultural identity has been lost. People have lost things that bind us together. The rules that guard us as a people have been forgotten."

He advised that all should go back to  those things that bind communities together maintaining that  all should lend her/ her voice towards peace building to enable peace to reign.