THE Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), has said that the reason for the intensive training for youths in the Niger Delta held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was to tackle and ensure the reduction of criminality and other forms of violence across communities in the region.
The training was organised by PIND in collaboration with the Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Academic Associates Peace Works (AAPW), Search for Common Ground, and support from the European Union. Speaking with journalists at the venue of the training in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Peace Building Programme Manager of PIND, Dr. David Udofia, noted that the training was geared towards the reduction of criminality and conflict within the region.
Udofia explained that the essence of the capacity training was not just for knowledge retention alone but for adoption and implementation of the acquired knowledge for peace in communities of the region. He revealed that the project, “a community-centred approach to transforming criminality and violence in the Niger Delta,” was planned to last for 18 months, adding that the outcome will foster inclusive community security approaches to address the systemic drivers of violence and criminality in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States.
Udofia also explained that the outcome of a survey held by the organisation identified some hot spots within the states that qualified for the interventions, saying that 66 communities were selected as flash points for immediate intervention. He said: “The essence of this intervention is to reduce criminality and violent conflicts within this region.
