The Global Peace Development (GPD), in partnership with the Edo State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) and the World Bank, concluded a three-day training program on Friday aimed at equipping farmers, herders, and key stakeholders in Edo State with the skills to prevent and resolve conflicts.
The intensive training, which commenced on Thursday, focused on fostering peaceful coexistence and mitigating the detrimental impact of farmer-herder clashes on the state’s economy and livelihoods.
According to Onajite Ebruke, Executive Director of GPD, the training was strategically designed to provide participants with the tools necessary for effective conflict prevention, mitigation, and resolution.
“This training aims to empower both farmers and herders with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate potential conflicts constructively,” Ebruke stated.
Participants gained valuable insights into the far-reaching consequences of violent conflicts on citizens and the crucial livestock value chains, emphasizing the paramount importance of peaceful coexistence within their local communities.
Furthermore, the training aimed to cultivate community peace agents capable of identifying and analyzing early warning signs, thereby enabling proactive intervention to prevent violent confrontations before they escalate.
“Until people engage in honest dialogue, mutual reconciliation, and justice-driven conflict resolution, peace cannot be guaranteed in our communities,” Ebruke emphasized.
He stressed that the farmer-herder crisis is fundamentally a competition for resources and business expansion, rather than a matter of ethnicity or religion. “The practical solution to this challenge lies in justice-driven reconciliation, as mere ceasefire calls will not address the deeper underlying issues.”
Ebruke further elucidated that genuine reconciliation necessitates justice for victims, ensuring accountability for those who violate the law. “If offenders are not held accountable, violations become normalised, undermining peace and fueling a cycle of lawlessness,” he warned.
“The best way to maintain peace is to uphold justice through fair and consistent law enforcement.” He also urged the government to prioritize the establishment of local peace resilience committees to analyze early warning data and facilitate timely intervention to de-escalate potential violence.
Echoing Ebruke’s sentiments, Edo L-PRES Coordinator, Betsy Ikpikhumi, highlighted the program’s broader objective of bolstering livestock productivity, strengthening community resilience, and enhancing crisis response capacity within Edo State.
“Reducing conflicts between farmers and herders will help curb violence and minimise its negative impact on Edo’s economy and livelihoods,” Ikpikhumi said.
She encouraged participants to actively engage with facilitators throughout the training, emphasizing that the acquired knowledge should contribute to sustainable peace and socio-economic development across Edo communities. The L-PRES Coordinator believes that a collaborative approach is crucial to achieving lasting peace and fostering a thriving agricultural sector.
