Naomi Gabriel —
At the graduation of its trainees under the ICT Training Programme, the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), says it has embarked on peace and inter-religious dialogue sensitisation programme to promote peaceful coexistence in the North-East region.
This was revealed by its Managing Director, Mohammed Alkali yesterday in Bauchi State.
He said the Commission extended its out reach to communities to sensitise the youths on dangers of extremism and radicalisation.
Having revealed that effective campaign strategies had been adopted to prevent the most at-risk individuals from being radicalized by terror group, he added that the Commission is scaling up awareness campaign on religious extremism and ways to recognize signs of extremism as well as skills to adequately identify its ills.
Alkali said the programme would emphasise on moderation and peaceful co-existence in the region.
“We will be making use of radio which is good for our local people and there are other programmes which involves physical engagement where we will involve the elders, the emirs, the chiefs and whoever that can give respite to what we are saying, he noted.
“NEDC is working to increase knowledge, respect for peace and peaceful coexistence in the region by engaging selected youth towards de-radicalisation to encourage radicalised individuals to disengage and provide psychosocial support for better livelihood”, he said.
Alkali said the Commission had graduated 580 youths under Batch A, B and C of the ICT training programme in Bauchi State.
He said the Commission had established ICT resource centres in selected tertiary institutions across the six states of the zone, in line with its strategic plan to enhance access to ICT.
According to him, the objective is to improve access to ICT resources and equip the teeming youths across the region with the necessary vocational skills and tools to make them self-reliant.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Commission distributed economic strengthening kits to the 200 graduates of the ICT training programme, to enable them to set up their businesses.
NEDC also donated 20,000 cartons of assorted drugs and medical consumables to Bauchi government to prevent outbreak of cholera in the state.
NAN also reports that management team of the Commission inspected the ongoing construction of 500 housing units in Bauchi.
