Addressing Nigeria's Violence Ecosystem

Herders in Nigeria are predominantly Fulani while the farmers  spread across other ethnic groups. Herders in Nigeria are traditionally nomadic, moving their cattle from place to place for pasture. Intruding desertification caused by severe recession of water and dry up of Lake Chad now push out the herders southward of Nigeria on transhumance. The farmers are often peasants with farmlands which eventually become space for cattle grazing. The shrinking space and opportunities available to sustainable livelihood engagements and agricultural practices can no longer accommodate such agricultural practice which necessitated cattle to be grazed on farmers’ farmland. The conflict has resulted in widespread destruction of lives and livelihoods. The aim of this innovation is to provide relevant insights to the relationship between identity crisis and violence in Nigeria as well as looking into digital strategy that can be deployed for early warning, prevention, mitigation and conflict transformation.

The problem is the crisis of ecology that is cardinal factor in addressing herders-farmers violent conflict in Nigeria. The solution focuses on developing strategy for effective durable  sustainable digital identity supported symbiotic solutions. This will help in putting in place  accountable functional early warning system and structure for prevention and response to conflict. The number of people threatened by ecological crises in Nigeria has increased in the last decade. Thousands of people have also been affected by herders-farmers violent conflicts in Nigeria. Ecological Crises have links with this conflict. In fact, the link between increase in violent conflict and ecological crisis is unmistakable even though poor level of knowledge abound. Ignorance and dearth of knowledge of the interaction of the variables and lack of awareness of vulnerability are of utmost concern. This solution is inspired by growing failure of not well thought through solutions that have been bantered as remedies to the  herders-farmers violent conflict in Nigeria. Hence, the solution proposes a fusion of realist’s and idealist’s perspectives that are carefully designed to produce effective strategy that promote culture and practice of prevention, peace building and resilience.

The solution is strategy that promotes symbiotic relationship between herders and farmers whereby weeds from the farmers' farmland are collected to feed cattle and dungs from cattle are collected to be used by farmers as fertilizers. This solution is backed up with digital identity that documents  target  - beneficiaries, enhance active agency of the vulnerable, promote health and non-toxic sustainable ecosystem as well as fostering cooperation that strengthens mutually beneficial  symbiotic relationship. It will also provide opportunity for  operational linkage with policy environment in a way that people-centered framework for reconciliation and peace can emerge. The solution explores  strategy that seeks the linkage of prevention, mitigation and policy actions/responses in a continuum that strengthens coordination, builds synergies, and allows for holistic integrated approaches to problem solving within  a conflict prone ecosystem. It will also promote and actively facilitate self-agency of conflict affected persons and communities, thereby enabling them to play roles in rebuilding their lives and communities. The process is a peace building process that integrate interests of actors into  an inclusive solution hub of building mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship that is supported by digital identity card model.

Herders, Farmers and communities are the target population. We have been working with them in projects i coordinate. Currently, there is a  break down of relationship, misunderstanding, conflict and outright violence between them. They were consulted and involved in the design of this solution. The participatory vulnerability analysis i conducted among them  identified  dimensions of vulnerability as well as actions necessary to respond to them so as to achieve conflict risk reduction. This solution model  enables targets to be actively engaged in assessing their vulnerability to ecological challenges and the resultant violence as well as envisage necessary actions to reduce them. The analysis was  carried out within contexts that identify necessary preventive, responsive, remedial and risk reduction measures.
Specifically, in engaging the target we used:
1. Focus group discussion—through which key segments of the population especially the gatekeepers to herder-farmers' communities and affected persons and  agencies were engaged.
2. Key Informant Interviews—this method  complemented the FGDs in digging at the roots of conflict, issues and problems.
3. Documentary sources and evidence were also sourced from available publications, opinion papers and dailies. The solution will enhance mutually beneficial symbiotic relation and trigger culture of peace building.

Identity crisis has become the worst threat to survival and peaceful living in Nigeria. Its consequential impact can be seen in the fierce contestation for resources by the farmers and herders in Nigeria.This solution identifies strategy, including  building eco-related symbiotic relationship using  digital identity method in addressing Farmers-Herders Conflicts, which has become a form of ecology driven  identity crisis in Nigeria. TheThe importance, uniqueness and relevance of the solution are in the fact that it adopts mini-max approach in addressing the deep and long time issues that are often ignored in understanding the nexus between ecology and conflict.

Under my leadership and coordination, the organization i manage, Emergency & Risk Alert Initiative has deployed this solution in Yashi Community, Nasarawa State and Bolorunduro Community in Ondo State. Yashi Pa community is stuck in Wamba area  of Nasarawa state of Nigeria. The major issue in the community is the poor state of water as the only stream in which people get their water is also serving thirsty cows and other animal like pigs whose dung pollute the stream. The community has no Toilet and so human waste also end in the stream. In Bolorunduro, it was carefree destructive grazing on farmlands.

The solution is innovative in that it meets the objectives of inclusion by ensuring the active participation of the primary target in its formulation and design. Our planning and solution  concept development process were inclusive and participatory. We were able to map strengths and weaknesses of  target and these determine the appropriateness of the solution. 
With this, they become more involved in peace and environment governance issues in the country and they will  also be actively involved in some of the interventions in subsequent interventions. This solution will also  deepen their involvement in security issues by ensuring that their involvement becomes less abstracted and more connected with issues and factors in their vulnerability. Conscious effort will be made to share the model and its appropriateness for wider practice. Dissemination workshops and round table with policy makers, practitioners, CSOs among others are some approaches that will be used in disseminating various lessons. The key messages for this will be strong on Ecological crisis and violent extremism, vulnerability, conflict sensitivity and behavior change communication that encourages people to pursue and practice sustainable systems of livelihood, reconciliation, conflict transformation and peace building- farmers and herders. Dissemination plan will also include using community structures and spaces to discuss the model e.g push and pull factors and cultural practices that enable violent extremism to thrive in communities as well as creating atmosphere for reconciliation and peace building.

1 . Current: 2 Communities 1200 people

2. 1 Year: 3 Communities 1800 people

3. 5 Years : 36, 000 persons

1.      Number of  herders-farmers  related violent conflict in project communities.

2.      Number of herders and farmer on Digital Identity Data Platform.

3.      Number of Communities linked together for Early Warning and Early Action.

2 Full time Staff, 2 volunteers and 4  herders and farmers, making 8 persons

ERAI Team has a strong culture of project management propelled by effective and efficient system and process that ensure quality planning, implementation/execution and delivery. We  have in place a Project Management Committee with the Executive Director as the Chairperson with members drawn from organization's  themes. Project officers, who, are day to day, run the project will update the committee with monthly progress report, issues and challenges. The committee will review the progress against objectives, activities and output reports using quality assurance lens as well as  that of conflict sensitivity  and progress indicators benchmarks. Also, our robust Financial    policy and system are some of the instrument in place to stem the project’s risk and exposure. We are people who have many years of cognate experience in academic, research, fieldwork, conflict, peace building, preventing and countering violent extremism and general development work and vast knowledge in fieldwork. Also we have consulted for several local and international social development agencies and carried out several projects creditably. T

I have managed and  mentored partners, Staff, Networks and organizations on recognizing the potential benefits and challenges of relationship and resources and how to manage them to achieve results. I have furthered the concept of inclusion and accountability in leadership and Management by adopting participatory methodology in plans, assessment, implementation and impact evaluation to ensure goals are achieved and resources are effectively and efficiently utilized. I train and mentor people, organizations and partners on accountability and resource management. Contextual understanding and recognition of situation, issues, actors/stakeholders, time and resources are crucial to inclusive and effective decision. I have over the years recognized this in my decision making process and consequently incorporate inclusiveness, learning, experience, share vision, information and  cost-benefit values along the line of my roles in risk management and quality humanitarian program delivery as integral part of decision making and taking.