Presidential Committee on North East trains stakeholders on peace building in Gombe  

The Presidential Committee on Northeast Initiative (PCNI) has begun the training of 170 stakeholders comprising traditional Rulers, Judicial officers and Imams on peace building and Transitional Justice in Gombe State.

Tijjani Musa Tumsa, Vice-Chairman of PCNI, at the opening ceremony of the training said the stakeholders being trained are expected to play the role of mediators with the aim of reconciling differences, settling disputes and ensuring the fabric of the society remain intacts considering the destruction meted out by the Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast sub-region.

He explained further that the programme is designed in such a way that it will rebuild social cohesion in partnership with key institutions represented at the training.

According to him, “the overall objective of the programme is to strengthen peace building processes leading to resilience and social cohesion within a context of justice and reconciliation”.

Speaking earlier, Professor Muhammed Tabiu (SAN), Chairman, Green Horizon Law and Development Consultants, facilitators of the training said the workshop is one among series of training workshops taking place in all the six Northeastern States organized by PCNI with the objective to promote and support peace, justice, reconciliation and reintegration in the Northeast.

Represented by Barrister Mohammed Maidoki, Professor Tabiu said, Boko Haram crises in the Northeast devastated the region beyond description adding that “in a period of about eight years, the crises consumed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced over two million people from their homes”.

He said, “This is aside from the destruction of towns and villages as well as valuable Government facilities like schools, hospitals, health centres, courts, Police Stations, prisons and many more. While the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe bore the worst brunt of this monumental calamity, no State in the region was left untouched”.

In a goodwill message, Secretary General of the Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) in Gombe State, Alhaji Saleh Damburam, said the programme by PCNI is a highly welcome development considering the devastation the Boko Haram crises has brought to the State.

“The programme will be particularly important to the Imams in the State considering the role they play in the society”, he declared.