NOA, CEPEJ to Collaborate to Sustain National Values

NOA, CEPEJ to Collaborate to Sustain National Values

By Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) is set to collaborate with Center for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) and other Civil Society organisations to promote and sustain national values.

Director General of NOA, Dr Abari Garba, made this disclosure while playing host to a team of CEPEJ officials led by its National Coordinator, Comrade Sheriff Mulade during a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja.

While commending the CEPEJ for its peace building initiatives in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, he noted that the activities of the NGO were not new to his agency, especially its peacebuilding efforts across the nation.

Garba expressed the agency’s concern about the challenges of cattle rustling and armed banditry, the incidences of which he said had reduced though with still flashpoints here and there that will require his collaboration with NGOs to overcome them permanently.

While stressing the need to de-radicalise and reintegrate insurgents into the larger society, Garba promised that the NOA would deepen its partnership with organisations such as CEPEJ to reach out to Nigerians in the following areas advocacy, sensitisation and capacity building, environmental sustainability and protection of human rights and promotion of good governance.

National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Comrade Mulade Sheriff who thanked the DG and his directors for hosting the NGO in spite of their tight schedules, said the purpose of the visit was to cement the NGO’s relationship with the agency and identify areas of partnership ahead of 2020, as well as strengthen bonds particularly in areas of peacebuilding and good governance.

A presentation on CEPEJ’s activities was done by CEPEJ’s Programmes Manager, Abuja Office, Mrs Nafisat Amadu Abdulmalik who highlighted possible areas of engagement.

She identified some key components of CEPEJ’’s programmes such as peacebuilding, capacity building and other empowerment programmes, peace and unity quiz and essay competitions, the nonviolence philosophy, educational approach, advocacy for environmental sustainability, peace and unity football tournament, also known as Comrade Sheriff Mulade Peace and Unity Football Cup which is building bonds between Ijaw and Itsekiri in Delta State.

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