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PROTECTING OUR FUTURE: PEACE EDUCATION IN THE NIGERDELTA OF NIGERIA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The African Renaissance Network and the YCS as part of their program on social transformation in Nigeria carried out a research to determine student behaviors. Its findings showed that students were prone to act in a violent way at the least provocation instead of respecting and allowing the rule of law to take its place. This was observed to be due to the long years of military rule in the country. The military way of dictating also found its way into the secondary schools where teachers, instead of allowing the students to elect their leaders select class leaders.
This project of Peace Education is based on the premise that if students / youths who form a significant majority of the population know their right and cultivate a culture of democracy and skills of living peacefully (including the ability to elect their leaders themselves), they will be a powerful voice in sustaining democratic values and a culture of peace. It is an invaluable way we can safeguard our future. The strategy is to train teachers in both primary and secondary schools, who in turn will assist in training students on a culture of peace. The desire is that this peace education project given in schools will have an effect in the wider community.
The pilot scheme of the project will take place in the Niger Delta area of the country. However, it is the intention to duplicate the programme in other parts of the country after learning from the experience of the pilot scheme. The project will focus on training teachers who are already part of the existing schools community and student leaders. In the first year 72 teachers will be trained, followed by a carefully selected 180 students in an atmosphere of friendship and interaction in summer camps. The selection will reflect gender, multicultural and religious reality in the country. The teachers and students trained will now duplicate the training in the schools. Each school will form a peace club and will serve as a vanguard for further networking and peer mediation. A manual will be published to assist in this regard. The training will be on Rights and obligations of the citizens, elections conducting and monitoring, and peace education (comprising: Culture of peace, conflict prevention, transformation and management).
Resource persons will facilitate the trainings in workshops, using participatory methodologies that encourage team building, personal sharing and transformation, Periodic reports, including newsletters, will be published to highlight the activities and there will be a mid term review workshop to evaluate the project. The final outcome of the project will be the creation of a Centre for Human Development and Social Transformation to facilitate the continuation of the programme. The board of the centre will be composed of members of the community and stakeholders.
It is strongly believed that this training program will have a multiplier effect in the communities. By being aware of responsibilities, the newly enthroned democracy will be sustained. This will help prevent military rule and its inherent evils: corruption, bribery, looting of treasury, violence etc.
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BACKGROUND REPORT and CURRENT SITUATION
Nigeria is made up of about 250 ethnic groups and a population of about 120 million persons. The history of democratic rule and peaceful coexistence has been that of conflict, violence and coup d’etat. Nigeria had her independence with an elected civilian government in 1960. This government was overthrown in 1966 through a military coup. On 1st of October 1979 a democratically elected government was sworn in after 13 years of military dictatorship. Four years later, on the 31st of December 1983, this government was overthrown in a military coup d’etat. From then until the 29th of May 1999, Nigeria has been ruled by series of military dictatorships. The experience so far has not given room for celebration. In April 2003, elections were held for various political offices. The run up to the elections was violent including political assassinations and claims of election manipulation and rigging. This latest election raises questions as to whether or not Nigeria truly imbibes the tenets of democracy and civic awareness. This is the fear that 2007 election will produce more violence. In the society we witness a “might is right” attitude towards settling of disputes and leadership. This is one of the legacies of long military rule.
The various undemocratic political practices in Nigeria combined with the deterioration of traditional values and structure have created a situation in which the Nigerian people do not believe that democracy is possible, neither are they able to envision credible alternatives. There is then a growing sense of disillusionment among the populace and a growing cycle of violence. This has led to unprecedented ethnic & religious violence. The country’s integration and corporate existence is threatened and questions the ability of the country to survive. Nigerians now see themselves as members of ethnic groups instead of citizens of a country. Consequently, there is a shift from community values to a materially based value system and thus the collective aspirations of the people of Nigeria are being abandoned.
Students, being part of the society, are affected by the situation. The average age of students in the secondary schools is 10-17 years. It is obvious that students who are presently in secondary school have no experience of a democratic culture. They do not know what is expected of them and neither do they know what they can expect. It is necessary to have a program to educate the students on their civic responsibility and how to live peacefully. It is also vital that the teachers, who are involved in educating the student, be aware of the techniques of peace education and civic awareness and is able to assist the students in living this culture.
This project will contribute significantly at this critical juncture of building a democratic culture among the young aspiring citizens of Nigeria. The way to sustain democracy in Nigeria is to train the future leaders and their teachers. Make them appreciate and believe in democracy by internalizing it as their strategy of hope for the future.
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
GET IN TOUCH WITH THE PROGRAMME COORDINATOR AT imohcolins@yahoo.com
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OBJECTIVE
Get in touch with the programme coordinator
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THIS PROJECT IS BEING FUNDED BY THE GENOROSITY OF FRIENDS AT THE WSF. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATE.
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We are also very grateful to Children of the Earth NGO
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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND WISH TO SHARE OUR VISION, THEN BE PART OF THIS PROJECT . PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH imohcolins@yahoo.com
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