EKPOMA – With a view to promoting peaceful coexistence and curb insecurity across the country, the National Orientation Agencies,(NOA), recently held a one-day sensitization workshop on peace building and security awareness campaign.
The workshop which was held at Ekpoma, the administrative headquarters of Esan West local government area of Edo state, was organised in collaboration with the local government council, and geared towards encouraging community policing and allow security agencies to inter-face with citizens.
In her address, Edo state Director, NOA, Mrs. Grace Eseka, called on residents to always do the right thing at the right time in their places of work, businesses, and communities, adding that, to be fair, true, and honest in their dealings will foster unity rather than division.
On his part, the Head of service at the Local government, Mr. Desmond Imonikhe, admonished parents to inculcate in their children and wards, the ideology of peace, and also charged religious leaders to preach peace while urging the political class to eschew divisive utterances.
The Head of Service who declared the workshop open, enjoined public office holders to avoid tendencies like tribalism and nepotism in the distribution of appointment and in building infrastructures.
He however noted that, hate and rancour has never promote socio political, economic and infrastructural growth, rather impede it.
Also speaking, the Divisional Police officer,(DPO), in the area, CSP Rufus Odediran, called for constitutional roles for additional rules in maintaining law and order, noting, they are part of the communities and are also abreast with the norms and terrains of their locality.
CSP Odediran who delivered a lecture titled: “Ensuring Peace and Security: The role of Communities Stakeholders”, lamented that, the modern world is becoming smaller, highly intergrated, technologically advanced, highly fragmented, less peaceful, full of tension, and more unsafe for both culture and present generation.
Also an Assistant Director in the council, Mr. Iretekha Ibharalu, called for the ban on open grazing as has been done in Ekiti, Taraba, and Benue States, which was contained in a lecture he delivered titled: “Curbing Herdsmen and Communal Farmers Clashes”.
Mr. Ibharalu further stated that, indiscriminate cattle grazing has contributed to the destruction of vegetation and wild life habitats, destruction of farmlands, raping of women and causes insecurities across communities.
Present at the workshop to brainstorm on curbing crime and criminality were community leaders, traditional rulers, market women, youths, religious organisations, politicians and the general public.
