From Ameachi Prosper (The New Diplomat’s Delta State Correspondent)
An agency for peace building and conflict resolutions is underway in Delta State.
The Special Adviser on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution to Delta Governor, Chief Edwin Uzor said government is contemplating creating the agency to strengthen peace building institutions in the state.
Chief Uzor who made this known when a delegation of Search for Common Ground, a non governmental organization, paid advocacy visit to him at his office in Asaba, explained that the moves was to strengthen framework to address communal crisis.
The governor’s aide, who said that government would continue to partner with genuine civil society organizations to institutionalise peace building architecture in the state, assured the group that he would bring the issue of creating a peace building agency before the governor for possible consideration.
“Actually, the way we are going we need to have an agency, a permanent one, so that when we are not here the agency can seamlessly continue with peace engagements that will create enabling environment for socioeconomic and political development,” Uzor stated.
Earlier, Search for Common Ground delegation led by the Country Director, Onnu James Udalor said they were in the Special Adviser’s office to thank him for the support his office and the good people of Delta State have been giving to the organization in their peace building projects in the State.
Udalor said that the objective of the organization was to bring conflicting parties together, finding ways of deliberating and solving issues without resulting into violence, adding that the NGO working in 54 countries across the world, was currently operating in Abuja, North East, Niger Delta and Middle Belt.
The country director disclosed that the organization had successfully built cordial relationship between farmers and herders in local governments they were working in Delta State.
He appealed to the governor’s aide to use his good office to facilitate the creation of Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Agency or Commission in the state just as sister states like Adamawa, Plateau and Kaduna had done.
