By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
A Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Search For Common Ground has organized a two day training workshop for Borno and Yobe State journalists and social media influencers on sensitive conflict information and communication strategies and programing at the grassroots level.
The capacity building training workshop which was held on Tuesday in Maiduguri, was aimed at transforming the way people deal with conflicts far away from adversarial approaches that they adopt towards community stakeholders participation in the implementation processes to ensure cooperative solutions.
The National Project Officer, Search For Common Ground , Mr. Michael Ezinkwo said: “the training workshop is intended to be an eye opener and knowledge to the media practitioners in the north east region, especially those covering conflicts, in order to improve their capacity building and expose them to the perceptions & perspectives that influence conflicts and ways in which violence can violate dignity and honour in the society”.
While the National Capacity Building and Training Specialist, SFCG, Mrs. Emmanuela Atsen said: “the organization is into collaboration purposefully to create a diverse and inclusive culture for Search. “
According to her, the unique value lies on the collective impact of globally integrated team and partners, from those most directly affected by violent conflict in our communities to those with access and influence on the major powers that influence conflict dynamics.
She added that the project is supporting the efforts of the Nigerian Government on Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) and promoting Disengagement, Disassociation, Reintegration and Reconciliation (DDRR) with the following objectives:
“To strengthen the capacity of the NGOs to develop and implement PVE and DDRR programming through attaining three Expected Results: and Institutional capacities on PVE and DDRR programming of government officials at the federal and state levels are strengthened;
“Others include ensuring that coordination of DDRR programming between the federal and state government levels is improved; and communication and awareness on PVE and DDRR programming are enhanced”, she said.
While noting that the DDRR Project was due to the increase presence of non state actors such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), coupled with violence and civil unrest, she argued that such has generated a social, political and humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria.
Ms. Emmanuella, further, said that the military’s operations to defeat the insurgents have resulted in the arrest and detention of thousands of suspected fighters, affiliates, and in some cases, civilians and victims, who are often detained together in overcrowded detention facilities, thus amplifying the risk of further recruitment into non state actors.
She noted that establishing an effective DDRR process for former associates of non state actors and groups within a broader PVE framework would create the necessary conditions for peace and recovery, adding that it is important for peace campaigns to use communication strategies on DDRR roadmap despite the challenges.
She also noted that the training would enhance the capacity of relevant MDAs in the communication and awareness of PVE and DDRR programming at the local, state and federal levels.
The National Media Specialist, Mr. Temison, dwelt on sensitive information and communication Strategies and programming of the Disengagement, Disassociation, Reintegration and Reconciliation (DDRR).
He said the training content will reinforce the idea that effective DDRR is an essential component for developing sustainable peace. The focus according to him, will be on positive messaging (offering perspectives and building the future) rather than negative ones (escaping your current situation).
He said it will further build trust between the receiving communities and the state and federal systems by pursuing a more proactive approach to external visibility on DDRR processes aimed at Informing the Nigerian public on the importance of a community-based approach to DDRR.
Mr. Temison added that it will promote transparency and information sharing on the topic of reintegration and reconciliation, share best practices with target audiences including government partners, NGOs, academia, and media professionals.
He maintained that the expected outcome of the workshop would bridge the knowledge gaps of communities as a whole and increase their level of awareness of the rehabilitation, reintegration and reconciliation process through access to accurate and reliable information.
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