Mercy Corps’ approach to conflict resolution excites Katsina Commissioner
By Zubairu Idris
Katsina State Government has commended Mercy Corps collaborative approach to conflict resolution and strengthening resilience in communities to enhance peace and stability in crisis-prone communities of the state.
The state Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Mr Surajo Yazid, made the commendation when he visited a training session for youths from Dandume, Faskari, Sabuwa and Safana local government areas of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four-day training was under the Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience project being engineered by Mercy Corps, funded by the European Union and being implemented in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration and the Centre for Democracy and Development.
During the visit, the Commissioner said that the training came at the right time when the government was searching for lasting solutions to security problems in parts of the state.
He assured that the government would continue to work with Mercy Corps and other organisations to strengthen resilience in communities and enhance peaceful coexistence.
The commissioner urged the participants, as peace ambassadors, to utilise the skills they have learned from the training to promote peaceful coexistence in their respective communities.
In a short remark, Mercy Corps Senior Programme Manager Philip Ikita, told the commissioner that they have been promoting dialogue between parties involved in conflicts, adding that the the training was aimed at promoting locally-driven peace initiatives.
He said the training was on ‘Interest-Based Negotiation and Community and Social Development Resource Management’.
One of the trainees, Yusuf Halliru from Sabuwa, said that they would train other ypuths in their communities to embrace conflict resolution, building resilience and dialogue for peace and stability.
Halliru urged the government to continue to support Mercy Corps with a view to restore lasting peace in the state.
Certificates were presented to the trainees at the end of the programme.
