The Director-General of the Benue Peace and Reconciliation Commission in the Benue State Government, Ms. Josephine Habba, has stated that the organization is setting an agenda for a four-year strategic plan on peacebuilding.
Ms Habba disclosed this on Tuesday when she spoke with journalists on the sidelines of a day workshop held at the Government House, Makurdi.
The DG noted that the workshop was part of the 16 days of World Peace Activism, which the state celebrates from November 25th to December 10, 2023.
Giving the theme of this year’s celebration as ‘Unite and Invest in Preventing Gender-Based Violence,’ the DG said that women were the target of the celebration, considering their roles at home.
She emphasized the urgent need for mothers to unite and invest in all aspects to ensure that their children are not used as tools for violence.
According to her, “We have a relatively new peace commission, and our driving force is to see that women, who are the incubators of peace, come together and speak to us on how peace can return to Benue, knowing that conversations with women will reach the bedroom, children, and marketplaces.
“When there is no peace, women are the most affected, and development is absent. So we want a critical engagement with the women on what they think is the way forward to bring peace back.
“And because this year’s theme for gender activism is ‘Unite and Invest in Preventing Gender-Based Violence,’ the unity is what we are trying to depict and invest in all aspects to ensure that our children are no longer engaged in perpetrating evil.
“We want to ensure that our young people become responsible for peacebuilding, and we also want reconciliation among the political class because the differences in politics divide us deeply.
“They don’t give us development, so we want to hear their perspectives on reconciling and talking as a people to bring back peace. Benue is the biggest interest we have now.
The DG also mentioned that the organisation would meet with religious and traditional rulers to create a four-year strategic plan to implement peace in the state.
“We do not want to work from our heads; we want a policy blueprint to work with,” she said.