By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development in collaboration with UKaid has organized a town hall forum, which is geared towards strengthening community- level peace, security dialogue and to mobilize stakeholders to develop traditional justice and reconciliation policy recommendations in Borno.
The community stakeholders, who converged in Gongolon village of Jere LGA for the dialogue, called on government as a matter of importance to provide educational opportunities, facilities for the teeming of out of school children, who are affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
They also advocated for the establishment of women and youths skills acquisition and vocational training centers to address the issue of unemployment in the community.
It was also resolved at the dialogue meeting that government and relevant authorities including NGOs and wealthy individuals should endeavour to empower youths and women through organized and well established policies.
The Facilitator and coordinator of the dialogue, Barrister Muhammad Umara who is also the Head, Legal Team of Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development, said the stakeholders further suggested that special prayers, forgiveness, transparency and trust building as well as reconciliation, respect for constituted authorities should be the watchdog of residents in every part of the society.
The community leaders also called for improvement on the security measures including patrol and surveillance across all the nook and cranny of the community. They also called on parents to monitor their children at home .
Some were of the view that prayers, tolerance, forgiveness and understanding among residents and other stakeholders should be adopted and harmonized in the overall interest of the people of the Community as means of discouraging acceleration of crimes, drug addiction, peddling, , prostitution, hooliganism, possession of weapons, arms and ammunitions.
On his part, The DPO, Jere Divisional Police Station,. SP Audu Isa as one of the community stakeholders emphasized that special attention in terms of livelihood supports and care should be given to the IDPs that are still in some designated camps, while residents of communities should be accorded similar benefits as they are both victims of insurgency.
Similarly, the District Head of Khaddamari, Jere LGC, Alhaji Baba Abba Hassan also elaborated on trust and confidence building, while calling on his subjects to embrace peace, dialogue, fear of God, honesty, unity, peaceful co-existence as well as harmonious relationship with one another irrespective of origin, trade, profession, religion, tribe, political affiliation among others.
Other stakeholders, who are leaders of various groups, clubs, associations, unions, agencies, authorities, business community, farmers, technocrats, civil servants, religious bodies, ethnic, teachers, security agents, CJTF, the physically challenged , youths, etc also made various inclusive contributions and suggestions amongst others
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