Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with three North-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa has begun the training of 2,000 members of the Civilian JTF and other vigilante groups who are involved in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency in the country.
Speaking at the passing out parade of the first batch of the trainee numbering over 700 yesterday in Jos, after three weeks of intensive drilling in various areas of capacity building, UNDP Country Director, Samuel Bwalya, said as Nigeria continues to wage war against Boko Haram insurgency, it would stop at nothing in supporting the country in terms of intervention projects.
According to Bwalya, the intervention includes reconstruction and rehabilitation of destroyed public infrastructure; restoration of livelihoods for conflict affected persons; support for local governance including access to justice and rule of law as well as in the area of community security and social cohesion.
He added that the capacity building programme designed for about 2,000 Civilian JTF members from the North-east zone was aimed at strengthening their capacity to render quality protection services to their communities, improved protection of human rights, increased prevention of gender-based violence and promotion of community cohesion and peaceful coexistence.
Represented by the Programme Coordinator, Mr. Mathew Alao, the Country Director, added that the special training programme equally afforded the beneficiaries the opportunity to acquire skills in technical and vocational trades of their choice that would enable them to live an economically and socially viable life long after the insurgency might have ended, pointing out that the capacity building training, was part of the German-funded Integrated Regional Stabilization Project (GIRSP) of the Lake Chad Basin in four countries including Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
In separate remarks, representatives of Borno State Government, Mr. Ali Kaka, and his counterpart from Gombe State, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed, and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Adesola Olusade, who was special guest of honour and chairman of the occasion, commended the UNDP for the intervention programmes and collaboration in the fight against Boko Haram, promising that government would not rest until the war against insurgency is completely won in Nigeria, particularly the North-east.
