International Organisation promotes prosperity in Taraba, Adamawa

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Nigeria Mission, says it will improve its investment in conflict resolution projects to reduce poverty and promote prosperity in Taraba and Adamawa States.

Nigeria Chief of Mission, IOM, Laurent de Boeck, said this on Friday in Abuja at the inauguration of the second phase of the organisation’s project and its extension centred on tackling conflict.

The project was titled: “Contribution to the Mitigation of Conflict over Natural Resources between Farmers and Herder Communities in Taraba and Adamawa States.”

Boeck said that the IOM had through collaboration with its partners, Searched for Common Ground and Mercy Corps, completed its activities and met its objectives during the first pilot of the project.

According to him, the overall pilot project reached over 7, 960 direct participants and 25, 237 indirect participants from 52 communities within five Local Government Areas (LGAs)of estimated 1, 023, 700 people.

“During the second phase of the project the consortium will continue to engage the stakeholders, which includes government agencies leaders and the affected communities.

“The expansion of the project to Taraba became necessary because of the linkages between communities in Adamawa and those in neighbouring LGAs in Taraba displaced due to farmer herder crisis.

“It also became necessary to expand the project to Guyuk and Shelleng LGAs in Adamawa, because these areas experienced clashes between two communities in past two years.

“It is hoped that through transformative dialogue and capacity building on natural resource management, the participating communities will be able to coexist peacefully.

“We would hope that the COMITAS project will pave way for further development in the communities that will be aimed at reducing poverty and promoting prosperity in both Adamawa and Taraba,” Boeck said.

The acting Head of Cooperation and Section Democracy Governance and Migration, European Union Delegations to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ruben Aguilera, declared the organisation’s determination to support fights against insecurity in Nigeria.

According to him, there is the need for adequate investment in the fight against insecurity to achieve the desired goals.

“Though the EU is investing 200 million euros in both the first and second phases of the project, the EU is investing more than 500 million euros overall.

“Out of that around 100 million euros goes to security issues and I think we are one of the largest international partners. We are also investing heavily in the farmer herder’s conflict.

“A lot of people think the biggest challenge being northeast with insurgency, but you also know they are other areas and that is why we have been choosing these types of projects,” he said.

Aguilera said that the project could be expanded beyond Adamawa and Taraba.

He said measures had been put in place to further work in the Northwest, Northeast, Niger Delta and the Middle Belt regions.

NAN/PIAK