The European Union (EU) Deputy Head of Mission to Nigeria, Zissimos Vergos, has called for the elimination of the factors that fuel criminal activities in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
He expressed that the EU would support inclusive community approaches to address the root causes of violence in the Niger Delta region.
According to a recent report by the Partnership Initiative for the Niger Delta, the most common crimes in the area include clashes related to militancy/illegal oil bunkering, kidnapping for ransom, communal conflicts, mob violence, clashes between rival cult groups, organized crime, and separatist activities.
During his speech at the launch of a peace promotion initiative titled “A Community-Centered Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta” in Abuja on Thursday, Vergos emphasized the need for a shift in perspective to combat the issue.
He said, “We all know we cannot address the structural problems of the Niger Delta region directly, but what we can do is highlight the paradigm shift and the theory of change that can convince a lot of people.
“Out of our interest in seeing Nigeria achieve its status as the giant of Africa, what we can do as a partner is bring resources to the table so that Nigerian partners can work around their challenges. This is very important to highlight.
“Through this process, we are learning because we definitely don’t come around to historical problems pretending that we fully understand the solution. What we know and bring from our societies is that inclusive societies do better.
“The EU supports inclusive community approaches to address systemic drivers of violence in the Niger Delta region.”
Zissimos commended the consortium partners, Stakeholders Democracy Network, Academic Associate Peace Works, and Partnership Initiative for the Niger Delta for working together to propose an alternative narrative to the interference of violence prevailing in the region.
The minister of Niger Delta, Engineer Abubakar Momoh, who his special assistant, James Khanoba, represented, expressed hope that the project would yield the desired impact.
He said, “We hope that the ‘Community Centred Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta’ project serves as a compass that guides government towards a more holistic understanding of the problem in the region and the potential pathways to sustainable solutions.”
Fatima Abubakar, the Country Director of Search for Common Ground, announced that her organization, along with Consortium partners, has effectively initiated the project in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta States. She highlighted that the state governments in these areas have shown dedication to advancing inclusive community security strategies and tackling the underlying reasons for violence and criminal activities in the region.