ASABA—THE European Union, EU, and Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, have initiated a pilot scheme at Delta, Enugu and Benue States to bring together ex-militants, herdsmen, farmers, opinion leaders, security agencies, critical actors and stakeholders to dialogue and develop a state-level peace plan   that will shape a national level policy dialogue on peace and security.

LITE-Africa briefs Delta govt

Executive Director of LITE-Africa, a civil society organization, Hon Joel Bisina, who disclosed this on a courtesy visit to the Special Adviser on Rural Development and Peace-building to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Chief Edwin Uzor, at Asaba, said that two Nigerian nongovernmental organizations and one from Senegal were working on the project, National Initiative for Sustainable Peace –building Architecture, NISPA, action in Nigeria, with supports from EU and ECOWAS.

He said that LITE-Africa was in Asaba to brief the state government on   the EU, ECOWAS peace and security programme aimed at supporting local and cross-border community dialogue and peace building efforts as well as training that links local initiatives to ECOWAS peace and security agenda.

Hon Joel Bisina (left) handing a document to Chief Edwin Uzor, during the visit.

National dialogue in Abuja

“The action will bring together ex-militants, herdsmen and farmers, opinion leaders, security agencies and other critical actors and stakeholders in the peace and security sector to dialogue and develop a state level sustainable peace building architecture that will link to a national level agenda through a national level policy dialogue to be hosted in Abuja in a later date,” he said.

He recounted the resurgence of militancy and the resultant destruction of pipelines on one hand, and inter- communal clashes between communities on the other, which need to be nipped in the bud before they get out of hands.

Specifically, he noted that the Niger Delta issues were not well articulated as ‘’nobody talks about those subtle issues that people are dealing with apparently due to lack of information until when they escalate.”

 Responding, Chief Uzor asserted: ‘’we thank you for the courage to handle it, your activities are clear and we assure you of the support of the state government. Give us adequate notice about your activities and we will participate in them.”