IMC Meets With Sisters For Peace Ambassadors Maraban Rido

By Frederick Peters, KADUNA

NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: The Interfaith Mediation Centre, Kaduna, (IMC) has met with Sisters for Peace Ambassadors, Mararaban Rido, to promote peace, security and progress in the community and State.

The interactive forum which held on Friday at the instance of the women group, also lamented the rate of corruption, unemployment, abuse of drugs and alcohol intake by the youths among others.

Speaking, Mr Samson Auta of IMC, said the meeting is a follow up of activities implemented by the centre in Rido Gbagyi community and it’s environs, ” the meeting was organized so that we can have a platform to interact of what can help the community in terms of peace and on issues that affect them, you know of the recent happenings of attacks in the locality by bandits/kidnappers,

” and this has also crippled business actvities and women are mostly affected by this challenge including their children and we felt is an opportunity to share ideas on how best we interact to support each other and those that are affected so that their problems can be reduced based on those opportunities, we feel we have within us as an organization

“organizations that we partner with is KAICIID, Mumbbaya house project with support from MacArthur Foundation working to educate the populace on the dangers of corruption, as it affect development, and that is why we are here to support the meeting” he said

Adding that ” during the discussion you could see that the women are in deeply in need of support, to empower them and with some little amount, it can do wonders and transform them and we believe with what we will do, it will bring about the desired change in the community ” he added

On his part , the Dakachi of Rido Gbagyi,, Chief Joel B. Adamu, while commending the message of peace and harmony brought to the Women and community by IMC, said whatever they have heard and were taught they should not forsake, but also to step it down to their families and for the interest of the overall peace in the community

Adding that, based on the contribution and challenges expressed by the women, such as the issues of insecurity bedeviling the community and the negative attitudes of the youths, he appealed to the government to come to their aid by dealing with the issues of insecurity in the area, with assurances that as a community they will also play their part in complimenting government’s efforts.

He specifically lamented the manace of drug abuse and illegally intake of local dry gins (Ogogoro) in the area among the youths, couple with the problem of unemployment and the lack of Skills training and empowerment for the youths. He further called on the authorities to see how they can check the sellers/ dealers, to mitigate the intake of these illicit substances by the youths.

The Coordinator of Women for peace Ambassadors, Mrs Alheri Danlami, said the essence of the meeting today is to create awareness and sensitize the women on the recent happenings in the community with the view of having a change ” and we want our children that are involved in drug abuse and alcohol intake to desist from such acts, and to put an end to the issues of corruption in our society, and to stepdown this message to our family and community at large.

According to her, with as little as #10,000 , each, they women can pick the pieces of their lives accassioned by effects of banditry attacks and insecurity that has displaced several women adding that, lack of jobs for their children and youths, lack of skills training and empowerment also fuels insecurity, while calling on government, NGOs and spirited individuals to come to their aid in this regards

Similarly, Mallama Hauwawu Lawal, while commending the organizers of meeting, said the meeting has helped in creating the needed awareness against issues happening in the community including the problem of insecurity, rape, corruption, lack of employment or entrepreneurial trainings or empowernment for the youths and women

According to her, this “makes both men, daughters and mothers vulnerable to both financial and moral/ sexual corruption ” so we we calling on our state government , wealthy individuals and groups to empower us to help our families” she stressed

In the same vein, Mrs Hannatu Joel, said they women have had a far reaching discussion and sensitization on a number of issues affecting them as women, ” we spoke on the need for peace and security, against the ills of drug abuse , bribing and corruption, we were instructed on the need to preach peaceful coexistence in our homes as mothers to our children, to our husbands and later others outside,, irrespective of tribe or religion”

With a call on Mothers to do more on their children to stay away from drugs and alcoholic (Ogogoro), and other societal vices, because the children spend more time with their mothers at home than with their fathers.