Radda Unveils SPRiNG to Promote Peace, Stability in Katsina

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has officially unveiled Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) programme to promote peace, stability and climate resilience in the state.SPRiNG, a four-year programme (2024-2028), launched yesterday in Katsina, is funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The programme is being implemented in the state by Tetra Tech International Development, in partnership with Nextier SPD, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD).Unveiling the programme, Radda described it as an important milestone in his administration’s unwavering commitment to promote peace, stability and climate resilience in the state.

He said the SPRiNG programme served as a strategic peace-building, conflict prevention, climate response initiative in Katsina and other Northwestern states battling with complex security and other interrelated challenges.He added that the security challenges orchestrated by armed militias and climate related predicaments such as desertification, erratic rainfall, increasing competition over natural resources, would be tackled by the programme.

Radda, however, said his administration has initiated and implemented both kinetic and non-kinetic peace and security interventions, including community-led peace engagement and dialogue, to ward off criminal elements.

According to him, “Our administration believes that without involvement of the community we will never have a lasting peace in our state.”

Earlier, the SPRiNG Team Leader, Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, said the four-year programme would strengthen peace, security and justice institutions to prevent, manage grievances and resolve conflicts across the state.

He stated that the programme would help farmers and pastoralists across farming communities in the state to adopt climate smart approaches for improved productivity.

“We also want to see stakeholders on peace and climate resilience work together and are coordinated. Through this we will have a solid partnership for peace,” Ukiwo said.