By Frederick Peters, KADUNA

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: The Conflict Mitigation, Management Regional Council,( CMMRC) under the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP), with support from the Interfaith Mediation Center ( IMC), Kaduna embarked on a peace intervention to Government Secondary School, Doka Boys, Kaduna North LGA of Kaduna State.

The two day program being the second, is a follow- up to an earlier intervention visit based on reports of the early warnings, early response mechanism at mitigating potential conflict situations in the school.

Held on Wednesday and Thursday, the program attracted students of the Kaduna school( Doka Boy’s) and teachers, the Kaduna State Peace Commission, CSOs , stakeholders among others

Speaking the Kaduna State CMMRC Chairman, Alhaji Usman Yusuf, represented by the state PRO, Mr Silas Danladi Kure,  appreciated the sponsors and organizers, noting that the essence of the two day program ” is to impact knowledge into these students that are coming up, because the rate at which crime is being committed today in our communities, work places, schools and in so many places, is also alarming and the cause can be attributed to lack of knowledge and illiteracy.

” we want to catch them young, that’s why we brought this intervention to Doka Secondary School; this is the second time we are coming here, it’s a revisit/ follow- up program, because the first time we came we discovered that there are problems between the students and staff of the school,; the students don’t listen to their teachers, they look at their teachers as if they are mates, they don’t have respect for their teachers” he added

According to him, ” the cause is all about upbringing; they say charity begins at home, i know Parents are trying, but the rest of the work lies on the teachers and if your child does not have proper upbringing at home, if he comes to school he’ll definitely misbehave, so we call on Parents to do more and leave the rest to the teachers, basically, that is why we deemed it fit for this revisit and follow-up on the program at the school,

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” to let the children know about what is conflict, causes of conflict and what makes a ‘useless’ and useful child in the society,, adding that, we want our children to be reponsible children in Kaduna state, Nigeria and the world in general and we believe and trust God that the knowledge we’ve impacted in them they will use it judiciously, and become good citizens of Kaduna and Nigeria” he reiterated

Similarly, Saleh Nurudeen Bashar representing the Kaduna State Peace Commission, (KAPECOM) and a member of the CMMRC at the 2 – Day program noted that ” is a capacity building program on peace education and the main essence is to target the young generation; you can see that the students are drawn from the senior and junior classes, adding that, whatever one would do for a sustainable future, needs to start from the foundation “and you see the age bracket is a foundation for a better future” he added

While commending the funder and partners of the program, USAID, Mercy Corps, Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC), Pastoral Resolve, Savannah Center for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDC) and Africa n Radio Drama Association (ARDA), pointed out that the Kaduna State Peace Commission as a key partner  liases with ” other key partners in giving out its technical expertise to some of these peace building organizations to see that the work of promoting peace and social coexistence in Kaduna state is achievable” he stressed

In the same vein, a member of CMMRC, representing the Nigerian Youth Council of Nigeria, Mr Bernard Musa, described the program saying” this two day event has been very resourceful and it was actually intended to take place the way it’s taking place, and basically, what informed the reason for this program, was when we came for a working visit to see the relationship between the students and the teachers and we observed that some of these students have terrorized even the teachers and we need to actually do an intervention

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” and see how we can give an orientation to the Students and even the teachers, i think that is the major reason why we are here today , i think without a doubt, for those that are here and seen what we we’ve done, everybody will appreciate the fact that the deal has been done” he stressed

On her part, a Teacher at the School, Mrs Elizabeth Samuel, sees the intervention as ” a very good opportunity for us, because of what has been going on in the school, it’s either between seniors and junior students or boys fighting in the school; sometimes they even injure themselves and we treat them and take some to hospital,

“But with this intervention, we are showing them the light that, we can actually sit down and iron things together among ourselves and dialogue, so that peace can reign and with the good communication skills you have thought them, i believe they are going to pass it to others in class, so that they will be able to live in peace with each other in school and their communies”

Adding that, the program, as laudable as it is, should be be sustained and taken to all schools in Nigeria, noting that, the Peace club innuagurated will go long way in promoting peace at the school and grassroot levels, while assuring that at the PTA meetings, Parents will be enlightened to communicate the message of peace to their wards at home

A JS1c Student, Abdulmumuni Abdulateef commended the organizers for the 2 day event, ” it has helped to the point that i can make peace whenever I see a Christian and Muslim fighting” While advising fellow students involved in fighting at school or on their way home to stop” said the program should be sustained and repeated “so that many students will learn from the teachers as other schools can also learn from us” he added

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In the same vein, a SSI science student, Joseph John,, while describing the training as a ‘ beautiful thing’ said he actually learnt that ” we should stop fighting and anywhere we see our friends and our neighbors fighting we should correct them” He further said the inauguration of the peace club in the school will ‘ prevent quarreling and fighting’

He further appealed for more of these workshop because” in our school they are fighting anyhow” while appreciating the organizers saying ” we thank them very much because they’ve put something tangible in our lives” he averred

The 2- Day second phase intervention program is supported by USAID, Mercy Corps , CIPP in partnership with IMC, KAPEC0M among others

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