BENIN CITY – The Programme Officer of Bread for the World Protestant Development Service, a Non Governmental organization (NGO) based in Berlin, Germany, Jan papendieck and the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) have assured journalists in the state of building their capacity on resource governance issues under REGOND project.
Jan Papendieck said that he is in Nigeria to meet with the people (beneficiaries), Journalists and African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) who are partners in a capacity building project for media, focusing on reduction of poverty in the Niger Delta region.
He made this known while interacting with Journalists at the Headquarters of ANEEJ on Airport Road in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Papendieck said the NGO is one of the largest in Germany and was founded over 50 years ago with its finance coming from public donations from church especially at Christmas Service and from German government.
“We are a church based organisation, as we fund the work of churches. We equally have Muslim partners in countries where there are no churches”.
Speaking further papendieck said “I came to meet the people I will be dealing with, interact with Journalists, meet with ANEEJ, our partner as this will make our communication easier.
“I believe that with the little amount we are going to invest, we can contribute our quota in changing the world” he concluded.
“The Deputy Executive Director of ANEEJ, Mr. Leo Atakpu said Edo, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River States in the South-South will benefit from this project. He said the project will equip the media with the skills and knowledge to report on all issues of poverty reduction, resource, governance, human rights in this part of the country which will also spread to other parts of the country.
He further said, “we need to understand why human rights abuses still persists, what the law enforcement agencies are doing and what laws are there to guarantee peoples rights and then how it is being enforced. These and other important issues we will engage the media on”.