Bomba Dauda
The Nigeria Early Recovery Initiative (NERI) with the support of Jema’a Local Government has donated four (4) Motorcycles and other items to the 80 Youth community watch volunteers in Fori, Gwong Chiefdom.
The Chairman, Jema’a Local Government, Hon Peter Danjuma Averik presented the items to the Fori community on Tuesday.
Other items presented include: Safety boots, rain coats and Umbrellas,Waterproof Wrist watches, Torch Lights, Transistor Radios, and Whistles all numbering Eighty (80) each.
While handing over the items to the Council Chairman, the Program Manager NERI, Mrs Chikodinaka Omokide, said, the 80 Youth Community Watch volunteers comprises Fori youth and their Fulani neighbors were initially trained on Early warning, Early signs mechanisms and strategic conflict reporting system.
In addition, Mrs Omokide said NERI, which is a partner of the United States Agency for International Development Office Transition Initiative (USAID/ OTI) would provide two motorized boreholes and install 20 street lights in strategic locations in Fori community.
Explaining the reason for the intervention, Mrs. Omokide said, Fori is one among other communities in Jema’a Local Government with a rich history of peaceful co-existence hence the decision of the agency to encourage the Fori people and other communities to continue to live as one entity despite their ethnic, cultural and religious differences.
Receiving the items on behalf of Fori community, the Council Chairman Jema’a’a Local Government, Hon Peter Danjuma Averik said equipping the youths with knowledge of early warning signs of conflict would make them effective rural intelligence with capacity to mitigate and manage conflict situations arising in their communities.
He thanked USAID/ OTI-NERI for the gesture which he described as timely and very strategic in view of the current security situation in the state and country at large.
Hon Peter Averik advised Fori community, particularly the youth volunteers, to be proactive in the discharge of their security functions and use the items strictly for the purpose they were meant for.
He again encouraged other communities in the local government to remain peaceful and law abiding to enable them benefit from similar gestures.
In their separate remarks, the village head Fori, Mr Vosco Maigari and the Ardo Fori, Mallam Umar Juli Kagoma appreciated NERI for the assistance and promised to reciprocate the gestures by strengthening existing unity and peaceful co-existence in the community.
