The Institute of Integrated Transitions (ITIF) under the project, building social cohesion in rural communities with funding from GIZ, has organised a football match featuring farmers and herders from Sopp and Bum communities in Riyom LGA of Plateau State.
IFIT programme officer, Mr. Nanribet Longvwam while speaking at the Sopp community playground, venue of the match, said in the course of building social cohesion in rural communities, they have engaged youths and women who are critical stakeholders from the two communities in the last six months .
According to him, the priority is to see that youths and women groups who are key actors in conflict come together to pursue the same goal, part of it is to leverage on the spirit of sports to bring them together as one.
He explained that the youths from the two communities are mixed both farmers and herders form a single team and are playing against another mixed team.
“We are excited that the Berom and Fulani youths are playing and celebrating win together.
They also think of managing their loss together without anybody saying is Berom or the Fulani that lost.”
Also speaking, the village Head of Sopp Clement Pam said the essence of the football match is to foster unity among farmers and herders in the area.
The village head also argued that football is a unifying factor as it brings people together irrespective of one tribal or religious background. He added that youths are the backbone of any society while most violence is being perpetrated by them.
Pam urged both the Berom and Fulani youths to embrace one another and allow peace to reign in their communities stressing that there will be no sustainable development without peace.
Meanwhile, the youth leader Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) Riyom LGA, Abdullahi Mohammed on his part commended IFIT for the training of Berom and Fulani youths on peaceful coexistence in Akwanga Nassarawa State.
According to him, the training has been impactful adding that since, then they have been living together peacefully without bitterness and rancour while calling on the youths to sustain the tempo in the area.
In the same vein, the assistant woman leader in Bum community Tabita Davou said she is overwhelmed seeing farmers and herders playing football together, “This has never happened before.
“I am convinced that with this development peace has finally come to stay in our community. This should be sustained,” she said.
Our correspondent recall that IFIT had brokered a peace deal between farmers and herders in Sopp and Bum communities.
It was cemented at a learning and exchange workshop on building social cohesion in rural communities in the state held at the Novel Hotel and Suites.
The IFIT country director, Thomas Bimba at the event; said the institute facilitated negotiated settlements of disputes between farmers and herders communities in six rural communities of Riyom and Bokkos LGAs of Plateau State.
Similarly, the Senior Adviser Institute for Integrated Transitions (ITIF) Seth Kaplan, said the organisers chose to focus on the Middle Belt region of Nigeria because it is considered the most ethnically and religiously diverse part of the country.
Kaplan further emphasized the importance of going to the communities, meeting with them and empowering them to drive their peace processes as they are the ones living with the issues.
