SEARCH LAUNCHES A PROJECT ON PEACE BUILDING IN BAYELSA, DELTA AND RIVERS STATE (Video Report)

Even as the society is confronted with issues of violence and criminality, organizations with interest in peace building are looking to transform criminality in the Niger Delta.

Search for Common Ground (SEARCH) and its consortium of partners, launched a project with the theme “Community Centered Approach to Transforming Criminality in the Niger Delta.”

The event held on the 8th of February in Port Harcourt and was widely attended by Civil society organizations, community representatives, stakeholders, traditional rulers, royal fathers, security agencies etc.

The project which is funded by the European Union will be implemented in 66 communities across 33 local government areas in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers State.

The initiative is targeted at fostering an inclusive security approaches to address the systemic drivers of violence and criminality in the Niger Delta.

(Watch the video report here)

In a welcome address delivered by the Country Director of SEARCH, Fatima Abubakar, stated that the project was designed from an understanding of the challenges and conflicts that shaped the current issues in the region, adding that the project will highlight the roles of social inclusiveness in peace building.

“The project we gather to launch today seeks to foster inter-community collaboration around issues of social inclusiveness, lack of economic opportunities, and environmental degradation; to build trust and collaboration between communities and government and security actors for more participatory, community-centered security operations; to leverage arts and culture-based approaches to foster social cohesion between divided communities both online and offline; and to facilitate policy change to institutionalize community-centered security approaches at the local, state, regional, national and international levels.” She said.

Representing the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Chisom Gbali commended SEARCH for its initiative, vowing the state’s support for any project that promotes youth development.

He added that the state government is open to ideas and strategies that will curb the issues of criminality and violence in the state.

The highlight of the event were dance performances from the Rivers State Ministry of Arts and Culture, promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Rivers People.

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