NATIONAL ORIENTATION AGENCY
Anambra State Directorate. Awka.
REPORT ON THE CONDUCT OF PEACE BUILDING AND STABILIZATION ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN IN ANAMBRA STATE
1. Title of Programme: Peace Building and Stabilization Advocacy/Media Engagement.
2. Background to the Programme: From every indication, there was heightened tension in the country after the 2023 general elections. The general election proved that the voter education conducted by the NOA yielded positive dividend by raising the political awareness of the electorate to participate actively in the electoral process.
In this regard, when the result of the election was announced and coupled with what transpired on the Election Day in most of the polling centres across the country; most people felt shortchanged following the outcome of the election. In view of the aforementioned, there were agitations, threats, demonstrations and calls for cancellation of the election. Considering that the situation might lead to a total breakdown of law and order, it becomes pertinent that a programme on peace and stabilization of the polity should be embarked upon immediately and with utmost seriousness and commitment.
3. Justification/Rationale for the Programme: With threats by many aggrieved persons to go on rampage and to take laws into their hands following the outcome of the 2023 General Election, it becomes obvious that there is a threat to law and order and invariably the peace and stability of the country may collapse in the process. Therefore, to avert anarchic situation in the country, the need for a campaign on peace and stabilization of the country becomes germane.
4. Objectives of the Programme: The objectives intended to achieve in executing this programme are as follows:
(a) To remind the people to adopt peaceful processes in the resolution of every conflict situation.
(b) To create the consciousness in the mind of the people to understand that peace and stability are the sine qua non for socio-economic development.
(c) To ensure that people will have confidence in our judicial system.
(d) To inform people to be law abiding and to believe in the unity of the country.
(e) To make people understand the devastating effect of disinformation, hate speech and misinformation.
(f) To inform the people to be guided by the tenets of patriotism as a way of achieving peace.
5. Methodology/Strategy:
(I) The first stage of this programme started on Tuesday, 16th May, 2023 with media engagement with six media houses, namely,
(i) Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Awka.
(ii) Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Purity FM, Awka.
(iii) Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) Radio/Television, Awka.
(iv) The Nation Newspaper.
The objectives of the media engagement were as follows:
(a) To persuade and enlighten the people in order to underscore the primacy of peace and usage of peaceful processes in the resolution of all social conflicts, such as the one arising from the recently concluded 2023 general elections.
(b) To educate the people to imbibe a positive attitude in a polarized society like Nigeria.
(c) To use peaceful processes to resolve conflicts in Nigeria.
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(II) The second methodology was advocacy visits to prominent Traditional Rulers from the three senatorial zones of Anambra State. Advocacy visits were paid to these prominent traditional rulers in the following order:
- HRM Igwe Kenneth Orizu (OON)
Date: Thursday, 18th May, 2023
Venue: Igwe’s Palace, Nnewi, Anambra South Senatorial Zone.
- HRM Igwe Obi Gibson Nwabueze Nwosu (OON)
Date: Wednesday, 24th May, 2023
Venue: Eze-Uzu Palace, Awka, Anambra Central Senatorial Zone.
- HRM Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe (CFR, MNI) The Chairman, Anambra Traditional Rulers Council.
Date: Tuesday, 23rd May, 2023
Venue: Ime Obi, Awka Road, Onitsha, Anambra North Senatorial Zone.
Due to the opening of the second Niger Bridge and the commissioning of the Federal Secretariat by the President on 23rd of May, 2023, the earlier scheduled advocacy visit to HRM Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe was cancelled.
(III) The third stage of the programme is the advocacy visits to the State chapters of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Council of U’Lamars. Advocacy visit to the State Chapter of CAN was carried out as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 23rd May, 2023
Venue: CAN office, Oguta road, Onitsha.
6. Target Audience: Journalists, Traditional Rulers, Leaders of CAN and of the Council of U’Lamars at the State level.
7. Dates:
(a) Media engagement Tuesday, 16th May, 2023
(b) Advocacy visit to Igwe Nnewi – Thursday, 18th May, 2023
(c) Advocacy visit to CAN leadership – Tuesday, 23rd May, 2023
(d) Advocacy visit to Igwe Onitsha – Tuesday, 23rd May, 2023
(e) Advocacy visit to Igwe Awka – Wednesday, 24th May, 2023
(f) Advocacy visit to council of U’lamars – Thursday, 25th May, 2023
8. Time: From 11:00am on assigned dates.
9. Programme Message:
Sequel to the directive by the Director-General of NOA, Dr. Garba Abari to all State Directorates to commence a programme on Peace Building and Stabilization advocacy. The Anambra State Acting Director, Sir. Joseph Uchendu in obedience to the aforementioned directive, started engaging the stipulated stakeholders immediately. Inorder to make the programme be well publicized, there was a media engagement with journalists from four media houses, namely, NTA, Purity FM, The Nations Newspaper and ABS Radio.
The State Director, Sir. Joseph Uchendu used the media engagement to mobilize the journalists to focus on stories that will engender peace and stabilization of the country. He urged the media to persuade and enlighten the people in order to underscore the primacy of peace and usage of peaceful processes in resolution of all social conflicts such as arising from the recently concluded 2023 general elections.
The State Director informed the media to educate the people on the benefits of peace and the consequences of crisis to our country and urged the media to focus on publications that will bring unity and peace rather than hate speech or information that will create confusion and crisis. He further told the media to educate the people of the country through their broadcasts and publications to imbibe positive attitude geared towards peace as no progress or development can be achieved outside peace and stabilization of the polity.
Furthermore, the Directorate embarked on Advocacy visits to three prominent Traditional Rulers in the three senatorial zones of Anambra State. The first was to the palace of His Royal Majesty, Igwe Kenneth Orizu of Nnewi in Anambra South where the State Director enjoined him to mobilize his subjects for peace as crisis may not solve the problems at hand. In his reaction, the Igwe of Nnewi promised to use all the avenues in the community to mobilize and refocus the people to seek peace and adopt peaceful avenues for the resolution of social conflicts arising from the 2023 general elections.
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In furtherance of the advocacy visit to the prominent Traditional Rulers, the State Director and his management team visited the Eze Uzu of Awka, His Royal Majesty, Obi Gibson Nwabueze Nwosu at his palace in Awka Anambra Central senatorial district.
The State Director of NOA, Anambra State explained the objectives of the peace and stabilization advocacy to the representative of Eze Uzu, Obi Gibson Nwosu, Chief Nweze Okoli, Ozo Udo and speaker, Eze Uzu in Council. He urged the Awka traditional council to mobilize the people of Awka especially the youths to shun violence and adopt peaceful measures, in the resolution of conflicts such as arising from the 2023 general election in the country.
The representative of Eze-Uzu Awka responded by saying that Awka people had experience of crisis and would not allow the engendered peace at present to elude them. He promised that Eze-Uzu will mobilize Awka for peace as directed by Federal Government while acknowledging the effort of NOA in Nation building.
The State Director of NOA, Sir. Joseph Uchendu also visited the State Chairman of CAN in his office at Onitsha. He informed the CAN Chairman and his committee members that there can never be meaningful progress in an atmosphere of crisis and therefore urged them to help mobilize their members to be peaceful, law abiding and always use peaceful processes in the resolution of social conflicts such as arising from the 2023 general election. The State Director stated that peace as a virtue should be imbibed by everybody and urged them to mobilize people to buy in into this peace building and stabilization advocacy campaign for the development of the country. He urged them to avail the opportunity which their vantage position as priests offers to mobilize support for peace and the use of peaceful processes in the resolution of conflicts and issues.
In his reaction, the Chairman CAN, Anambra State, Venerable Joseph Nweke recalled that although CAN was not comfortable with the outcome of the elections, however, he enjoined all aggrieved persons to abide by the laws of the country and use peaceful ways of resolving the crisis as violence portends danger to the individual and the economy.
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However, Venerable Joseph Nweke assured of his support and of all members of CAN for this programme on peace and stabilization and promised to help mobilize people not to engage in violence activities or cause disintegration but to adopt peaceful processes in resolution of conflicts for the sake of peace and rapid socio-economic development of the country.
The Anambra State Acting Director of NOA equally visited the palace of the Sarikin Hausa and the leader of Northern community, as well as the council of Ulamars on the role of peace in any nation and urged him to help educate his people properly so that nobody will engage in violence. The State Director, Sir. Joseph Uchendu intimated him about the Objective of the peace building and stabilization advocacy campaign and urged him to convince and persuade his people to always adopt peaceful processes in the resolution of conflicts.
In his reaction, the Sarikin Hausa, and the leader of Northern community, Alhaji Garba Haruna stated that he has being an ambassador of peace in the state considering that one of his wives is from Anambra State and Awka precisely. He also stated that some of his children are in the University in Anambra State and as such will always advocate for peace and cordial relationship with one another. He thanked NOA for her efforts in nation building and assured that they will inform their members properly during tomorrows Jumat prayers. He urged everybody to toe the path of peace and peaceful resolution of conflicts and urged the Chief Imam Malam Gwani to pray for the State Director and his team and also pray for the success of the peace building and stabilization advocacy campaign. The representative of the Chief Imam, Musa Shuaibu Adamu said the prayer as directed.
10. Post Programme Publicity:
Post programme publicity was effected using the following media:
1. ABS – Aired the event on 25/5/23 at 3:300pm, 6:00pm, and 12:00pm and on 28/5/23 at 6:00am, 9:00am, 12:00noon and 2:00pm.
2. Radio Nigeria, Awka aired the event on 25/5/23 at 6:00amp and 9:00pm and 6:00am, 9:00am the next day.
3. NTA aired the event on 25/5/23 at 8:00pm and 10:00pm
4. The Nations Newspaper of Wednesday May 17, 2023 p.23
5. WAZOBIA FM 95:1 Ontisha – Aired at 7:00pm on 25th May 2023.
6. Online Publications:
(i). NOA takes peace building stabilization advocacy to Anambra
Monarch https://www.thenewschronicle.com
(ii). CAN join Forces with NOA on Nationwide Peace building campaign https://www.odogwublog.com
(iii). Ndigbo are the light that Illuminate the Social-Economic activity of Nigeria https://www.odogwublog.com
(iv). Youths urged to embrace peace https://www.yanguarding.com
(v). NOA urges youths to shun violence for Nations Development https://advocate.ng
11. Expected Outcomes:
1. Recourse to peaceful settlement of dispute or conflicts
2. Use of peaceful processes in the resolution of conflicts
3. People will have more confidence in the Judiciary
4. Divisive tendencies like tribalism, religion and ethnicity will not be used by some people to cause confusion or create more crisis.
5. Officers handling various petitions will be more disposed to carry out their duties according to their conscience and without fear or threat.
6. There will be peace and stability in the country.
11. Challenges:
(i) The time within which to conclude the programme was short
(ii) There was not adequate fund for the programme in view of the
category of people visited and logistics involved
(iii) Mindset of people that justice and equity are the basis of truth
and peace and so should precede peace and unity
(iv) Lack of IEC materials illustrating the peace and conflicts and their role in socio-economic development.
Conclusion:
This report on Peace Building and Stabilization was carried out in the three senatorial districts of Anambra State. The media, the Traditional Rulers and the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Council of U’Lamars promised to mobilize people and their members to adopt peaceful processes in the resolution of crisis and be peaceful/law abiding in all their engagements.
The stakeholders stated in unison that the timing of the programme is apt but suggested that the programme should be sustained and be replicated in all the LGAs in order to create more awareness. More so, it is the view of most stakeholders that efforts should be intensified by the Federal Government to enthrone equity and justice as a way of finding a lasting peace in the country.
Uchendu Joseph O.
Acting State Director