…Presents Draft Policy Brief to State’s Lawmakers
By Yunusa Isa, Gombe
TEKAN Peace Desk under its Faith for Peace (F4P) Project co-funded by the European Union in Nigeria and Brot for the World has appealed to Gombe State legislators to facilitate the formulation of policies and laws that promote peace building, religious tolerance, democracy and human rights for sustainable socioeconomic development in the state.
The Coordinator TEKAN Peace Desk Mrs Helen Philemon Haggai made the appeal during a high level stakeholder engagement with members of the state’s house of assembly, on the need for multi sectoral collaboration to strengthen peace in the state.
She said inspite of its divergent ethno-religious population, Gombe State is blessed with peace and harmony compared to other northern states.
“We want to sustain this. We don’t want you to experience what we have experienced in the Plateau. Peace is everything, and everything for development”.
Haggai therefore appealed to the state lawmakers to promulgate policies and laws that could strengthen the peaceful ties between and among people of the state.
“As policy makers, you are at the helm of affairs to strengthen and ensure sustainability of this peaceful coexistence being enjoyed in Gombe State. We want this to continue.”
During the advocacy meeting and Technical Session with the state legislators, the Faith for Peace Project presented a draft policy brief titled “Fostering Peace Building, Democracy, Religious Tolerance, and Human Rights Protection through Community-led Action and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration in Gombe State, Nigeria”.
While presenting the document, the coordinator rolled out 7 points recommendations and implementation strategies to encourage and sustain the project gains in peace building, religious tolerance, democracy and human rights across the six communities of the three local government areas within which the project operates.
She equally intimated the members on the successes and achievements of the peace project in the last 13 months, to include the organization of technical and capacity building workshops, road walks, psychosocial supports, financial literacy workshops, third party funding amongst others.
In his goodwill message, the Speaker Gombe State House of Assembly Hon. Abubakar Muhammad Luggerewo, commended TEKAN Peace Desk for spearheading pro-peace initiatives, assuring to complement its efforts in ensuring a more peaceful and prosperous Gombe State.
While attributing the peaceful nature of the state to strong political will of the state government, Luggerewo assured of the house commitments to promulgating suitable policies and laws that will foster peace and development of the state.
The meeting provided valuable feedback to refine the policy recommendations before its final release to key stakeholders in the state.
The 30 months project which is expected to round-off in September 2025, forged to attain a violence free Gombe State; where religious tolerance is cherished, human rights are upheld, and peace, unity and justice flourish for every citizen.