A cross section of participants at the capacity building workshop in Bama LGA of Borno
By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
In a powerful step toward healing and rebuilding, community stakeholders in Bama, Bama Local Government Area (LGA), gathered on Wednesday at the Bama LGA Secretariat for a capacity-building workshop organized by the Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development.
The event focused on transitional justice and urged the foundation to expand its outreach to youths, children, and students through targeted training programs to foster societal awareness and curb social vices.
Participants emphasized the need for community dialogues and town hall meetings to bridge the gap between repentant Boko Haram insurgents and local stakeholders.
These interactions aim to resolve conflicts, address needs, and promote reconciliation, peace, reintegration, and coexistence in the region. Stakeholders also called for workshops tackling pressing issues like rape, drug abuse, and other social challenges, targeting adolescents, youths, and parents to build a safer community.
Parents and guardians were encouraged to closely monitor their children’s activities and relationships to prevent issues like rape, kidnapping, hooliganism, and terrorism.
The foundation was commended for its efforts in driving progress in Bama by educating, mobilizing, and raising public awareness in the post-insurgency era.
In her opening address, the Executive Director of the Allamin Foundation, Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin, highlighted the foundation’s achievements in other LGAs, including MMC, Jere, Konduga, and Maga.
She noted that the success of these initiatives prompted the Borno State government to approve the project’s expansion to Bama, bringing relief and transformation to the area.
Allamin announced that 25 participants would be selected for advanced training in transitional justice, mediation, and advocacy.
These individuals will, in turn, train 80 community members in mediation and dialogue to sustain peace efforts.
Allamin, further, committed to organizing quarterly meetings with stakeholders to address challenges identified during community outreach and to facilitate peace and reconciliation dialogues between communities and repentant insurgents.
These efforts aim to foster forgiveness, unity, and peaceful coexistence.
Bama LGA Secretary, Bello Alhaji Musa, welcomed participants and reaffirmed the council’s support for the foundation’s initiatives to improve living conditions in the area.
He urged attendees to fully engage with the training and thanked the organizers for their impactful work.
The foundation’s Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, Hamza Dadum Maigari, delivered a comprehensive lecture on the transitional justice system, covering its components, processes, benefits, and frameworks. Another facilitator, Zanna Shettima, provided further insights in Kanuri, emphasizing the importance of gender-inclusive, victim-centered initiatives in addressing the lingering effects of insurgency.
The workshop, attended by 100 stakeholders, including traditional, religious, and women leaders, security agents, and LGA officials, marked a significant step toward sustainable peace and development in Bama.
