Abuja: The Country Director of Search for Common Ground Nigeria, Mr. Karno Ouattara, has highlighted the transformative impact young peacebuilders are having in Kaduna and Plateau. Through the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA), these individuals are successfully rewriting narratives of division within their communities.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ouattara expressed these sentiments during the JISRA Closeout event organized by Search, a non-governmental organization, and its partners in Abuja. He emphasized that the initiative has left lasting legacies, demonstrating that peace is attainable when communities opt for dialogue over division. In both Plateau and Kaduna, Ouattara noted that barriers have been dismantled, trust has been restored, and collaboration has thrived.
Implemented in 2021 with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the JISRA project has brought together Search, the Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), and the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre (DREP). The initiative has empowered youths, trained women, and established platforms for Christian and Muslim leaders to jointly address previously divisive challenges.
Key achievements of the program include training hundreds of youths in media literacy to combat hate speech, empowering women as pivotal voices for reconciliation, and forming community peace committees to foster sustainable, grassroots solutions. The closeout celebration gathered government officials, donor agencies, faith leaders, civil society actors, women, and youths to reflect on the initiative’s achievements and plan for sustaining the progress made.
Suchet Musa, Project Manager for JISRA at Search for Common Ground Nigeria, stated that the five-year program has successfully united divided communities and could potentially be expanded to other states. Musa reported positive feedback on the initiative’s success in bridging divides between Christians and Muslims in crisis-prone areas, with communities now engaging in joint activities.
Julie Churchill, Global Project Support at Search, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to promoting dialogue and reducing tensions among Nigerian communities. She shared her observations from a recent visit to Kaduna, where communities involved in the project are now building cross-faith friendships, fostering safety and unity.
Tobias Wada, the Agwom Takad of Kaura Local Government Area in Kaduna, praised the impact of JISRA in fostering peace in his community and urged all levels of government to sustain such efforts. Wada highlighted the program’s role in overcoming religious mistrust and promoting peaceful coexistence, warning against using religion for selfish purposes.
Joseph Bukar, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, commended JISRA’s role in uniting communities and promoting dialogue. He emphasized that peace and security require collective efforts beyond government intervention and called for a strategic shift in addressing persistent insecurity in Plateau.
Bukar noted the ongoing challenges of religious crises, communal clashes, and criminal attacks, stressing the need for communities to adopt interfaith strategies and collaborate with youth and religious leaders to mitigate these issues.