By mariyam Diallo Dakar
Nigeria – The Network of Peace Journalists (NPJ) has announced a collaboration with Search for Common Ground Nigeria (SFCGN) to bolster relations and align with the NGO’s efforts in promoting unity among the people of the state.
Ibrahima Yakubu, NPJ Team Lead, made this declaration during the group’s advocacy visit to SFCGN in Kaduna on Wednesday, April 24 ,2024
In introducing the Network to the Inclusive Religious Engagement in Nigeria Enhanced by Women (I-RENEW) Project Manager, Mr. Williams Ubimago, Yakubu emphasized that SFCGN’s initiatives resonate with NPJ’s objectives of fostering peace and unity among diverse faith-based organizations in the country.
He praised SFCGN’s commendable work in the state since its inception, underscoring the imperative of collaboration in promoting peace, unity, and inclusivity among all Kaduna residents, regardless of tribe, religion, ethnicity, or cultural background.
Yakubu highlighted that the partnership aims to assist both organizations in conflict mitigation while advancing religious tolerance in Kaduna state.
“We are delighted to see Search for Common Ground’s presence in Kaduna, and we urge all peace-building stakeholders in the state to join hands in fostering religious harmony,” he remarked.
Furthermore, Yakubu noted that the Network of Peace Journalists will actively support the success of next month’s Kaduna Interfaith Dialogue (KID) alongside other stakeholders.
He urged all non-governmental organizations involved in peace-building and civil society organizations to unite in making Kaduna state a beacon of peace.
In response, the I-RENEW Project Manager briefed the group on the project’s objectives, which aim to empower women religious actors and youth activists to promote Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and inter/intra-religious peaceful coexistence in Kaduna and Plateau states in the North-West and North-Central regions, respectively.
Providing an overview of the project’s activities in the two pilot states, Ubimago stated that I-RENEW, spanning 24 months from February 1, 2023, to January 2025, is funded by the European Union and implemented by SFCGN Nigeria in partnership with the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and the Dialogue Reconciliation and Peace (DREP) Centre Kaduna.
He elucidated that I-RENEW operates through the Common Ground Approach to religious engagement, working with various stakeholders to promote trust, collaboration, and breakthroughs for the advancement of FoRB and peaceful inter/intra-faith coexistence in the target states.
Ubimago commended NPJ for its peace-building endeavors in Kaduna and assured of SFCGN’s willingness to collaborate with the group to sustain these efforts.
