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FIDA, Ford Foundation Strengthen Community Action Against Gender-Based Violence in Plateau

Published

8 months ago

November 1, 2025

vicky

FIDA , harmful norms, gender based violence

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, with support from the Ford Foundation, has intensified its campaign against gender-based violence (GBV), urging traditional, religious, and community leaders to sustain efforts toward ending the menace.

The call was made during a two-day Shared Learning Forum held in Jos, Plateau State, which brought together traditional rulers, religious leaders, state actors, male advocates of gender justice, and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the forum, Rita Lasoju, Assistant Manager, Programmes and Partnership at FIDA and Project Lead, said the gathering aimed to foster shared understanding and collaboration on GBV prevention strategies that challenge harmful traditional and religious norms.

“The objective is to strengthen community-driven initiatives and promote shared learning among gatekeepers who play key roles in addressing GBV within their communities,” Lasoju stated.

She explained that the platform also enabled participants to share success stories, lessons from interventions, and ways to deepen coordination between community stakeholders and government institutions for long-term results.

Delivering a welcome address on behalf of FIDA’s Country Vice President and National President, Eliana Martins, the Plateau State Chairperson, Na’ankus Fyaktu, said the forum is part of an ongoing project titled “Engagement, Coordination and Sharing of Lessons on GBV Prevention between Religious, Traditional and Government Leaders in Nigeria.”

According to her, since the project’s inception between October 2024 and May 2025, FIDA has organized several dialogues that have empowered community gatekeepers to challenge discriminatory practices and advance gender equality in their localities.

“The second phase of this forum builds on earlier achievements by consolidating gains, strengthening networks, and assessing changes in behaviour and attitudes among community influencers,” Martins said.

“Our goal is to build gender-sensitive, inclusive, and protective communities where women and girls can live free from violence and discrimination.”

Presenting a performance monitoring report, Jovita Chechet, FIDA’s Senior Impact Assessment Officer, emphasized the importance of documentation and reporting in tracking progress and sustaining community action against GBV.

Meanwhile, community and religious leaders, including HRH Bala Haruna, District Head of Nabor; Rev. Ikpisu Andrew of CAN; Kabir Abubakar of JNI; Inspector Venkat Moses of the Nigeria Police; and Nene Dung of the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, reaffirmed their commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based violence.

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2027: Clan insists governorship seat remains in Ebonyi North

Published

41 minutes ago

June 25, 2026

Preport

A socio-cultural organization in Ebonyi State, Ezza Ezekuna Development Association, EEDA, has declared that the governorship seat in the state must remain in Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone till the 2031 general election, for justice, fairness, equity and political stability.

EEDA dismissed the recent communique issued by a group describing itself as the Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council, in support of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Ifeanychukwuma Odii, from the Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone.

It declared that the Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council has no legal existence as it is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and has no constitutional foundation within the constituent clans of Umuekumenyi.

Briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abakaliki, National President of the association, Chief Kingsley Akam, Secretary, Comrade Uchechukwu Edeh, and a member of the association, Professor Chike Emmanuel Onwe, said EEDA aligns itself with the established zoning arrangement governing political succession in the state.

It insisted that Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone must be allowed to complete its own two tenures of the governorship seat as done by other two senatorial zones in the state.

“The Ezza Ezekuna Development Association believes firmly in justice, fairness, equity and political stability. These are not abstract values to be invoked in ceremony and abandoned in practice.

“They are the operative principles upon which durable inter-communal harmony is built, and they have contributed significantly to the peace and progress enjoyed across Ebonyi State since its creation.

“We align ourselves fully with the established zoning arrangement governing political succession in Ebonyi State, and we do so not as a new or recent conversion but as an expression of a position that the leaders and people of Ezza Ezekuna have previously declared and consistently maintained.

“That position has never changed, and it shall not change. The governorship of Ebonyi State remains, in accordance with the prevailing zoning understanding, in Ebonyi North until 2031. No reasonable Ezza person, properly informed of the history of our state and properly committed to the collective stability of Ebonyi, would oppose this arrangement. Those who do so act neither on behalf of Ezza people nor in the interest of the peace that all our communities depend upon.

“The so-called Umuekumenyi Leaders’ Council has no legal existence. It is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. It has no constitutional foundation within the traditions or governance structures of any of the constituent clans of Umuekumenyi.

“It is, in plain terms, a contraption — assembled hurriedly and without mandate by individuals pursuing personal political agendas under the cover of a name designed to create the illusion of collective authority. The public, the media and all relevant institutions are advised to treat it as such,” Akam said.