By Ogar Monday
To reiterate the need for peace and harmonious living, and to further deepen their understanding of mechanisms of conflict resolution, the Foundation for Partnerships Initiatives in the Niger Delta, PIND, has held a training for Prevent Council members in Cross River State.
Speaking at the training held in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Mr. Raphael Offiong, a consultant to PIND said the training is meant to help them “understand why they should adopt alternative dispute resolution and how to resolve their conflicts and live together while understanding that it is only the promotion of peace that our communities can grow and develop.”
Offiong, an Associate Professor at the University of Calabar further encouraged participants to deploy effective means of communication that douse tensions and to try and communicate in clear terms so as not to be misunderstood.
Offiong added that the peace-building process has moved beyond responding to crises and now involves the deploying of means to ensure that crises are prevented before they happen.
On his part, Mr. Noel Ukpong, the Director General of the Border Communities Development Commission, Bordercom, stated that the government is working assiduously to put an end to border crises in the state, but that community ownership of the reconciliation is the best approach.
Ukpong held that in some communities, the border issues have been resolved on paper but crises still exist on the ground because the communities are yet to settle their differences, adding that it is the only means for peace to reign.
Participants at the event thanked PIND for their support of the local peacebuilding effort while encouraging them to see to it that an intra-state peacebuilding mechanism is adopted, as it will benefit communities that have crises with communities in neighboring states.
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