BY: John Bassey, Gusau.

The European Union in partnership with three approved partners, international Organization for Migration IOM, Center For Democracy and Development CDD and Mercy Corps Nigeria has trained the media, traditional and religious leaders on modern techniques to mitigate conflicts and eradicate insecurity in a two day capacity building project in Zamfara.

The training was held at the Multipurpose Hall of Ja’iz Hotel, Lalan Area, Bye Pass Road of Gusau the state capital.

The two days capacity building tagged “Strategic Communication in conflict Environments” was funded by European Union with the sole aim of inculcating the idea of mitigating and deescalating tense situations in every information and communication gatekeeper in conflict environments.

Speaking at the Occasion, Mr. John Dash Nanfa, the Regional Manager for center of Democracy and Development, CDD said, to rebuild a conflict or post- conflict environments, it is evidence that communication and information has the ability to escalate or deescalate a tensed conflict situation.

He maintained that, rebuilding the capacity of information and communication gatekeepers on conflict sensitivity reporting, news-verification and fact checking in our States should never be a once in a while programme as it plays major role in mitigating escalated situations and curbing unsuspected crisis from seemingly peaceful areas.

Government at all levels should make it their major responsibilities to work in partnership with the communication and information gatekeepers as well as relevant stakeholders and NGOs in order to enhance a governable state.

At the meeting, the print, broadcast and social media practitioners as well as Traditional office holders and Religious leaders were urged to control and manage information at their disposal for the purpose of societal peace, harmony and cohesion.

Community based organizations, CBOs and Civil Society Organizations, CSOs were tasked to control and manage the narrative of every occurrence from the grassroots in order to mitigate and deescalate fumes of conflicts so as to promote resilience, peace building and social cohesion.

The two days training was aimed alerting the consciousness of the communication and information gatekeepers as well as other Stakeholders to set agenda on conflicts narratives in Zamfara state to ensure that language or statement that could lead to violence such as stereotyping, prejudice, ethnic profiling, fake news and hate speech are consciously checkmate.

All over the world, there no government that can thrive in the midst of violence, government always thrive where there is peace, development follows peace as well as progress.

The NGO seek to contribute to the growth of Zamfara state government on the aspect of strategic communication that could promote peace building coexistence.

We call on the Stakeholders either formal or informal, CBOs and CSOs to see it as a responsibility of all so that, together we can bring an end to insecurity while promoting peace and harmony across the 14 Local Government Areas, LGAs of Zamfara state.