Insecurity drops income per household by 60% in Middle Belt – NGO

Insecurity has dropped the income of households living in the Middle Belt troubled areas of the country by 60 percent, says an Non-governmental Organisation otherwise known as Search for Common Ground.

The NGO’s Country Director, Mr Sher Nawaz, made the disclosure in Jos on Tuesday during a one-day workshop, organised in collaboration with German Cooperation (GIZ). 

“If the problem of insecurity is solved, the income per household in the middle belt would increase from 60 percent to 210 percent”, Nawaz said.
Consequently, while delivering his address at the workshop, the NGO boss added that the organisation, through its five-month long peace project on the Plateau, would use the media as a tool for conflict transformation in the state.

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“We are here for our start-up meeting for our five month-long initiative, we want to use the media as a tool for conflict transformation on the Plateau.

“The idea is that we build the capacity of the local media outlets and we will be able to transform the conflict in ways we can’t imagine,” he said.
Still delivering his remarks at the workshop tagged “Advancing a Credible and Peaceful Media in Plateau State,” Mr. Nawaz also said Nigerian government loses 12 billion dollars annually due to insecurity in the Middle Belt region.
“Because of insecurity in the middle belt, Nigeria loses 12 billion dollars annually.
“This was a research done by our sister organanisation, Mercy Corps. It applied different techniques to get this figure. The loss has been incurred due to high level of insecurity.
“If people cannot go out and farm, it is actually some sort of cost; there was no one indicator to come out with this figure; they accessed multiple indicators,’’ he said.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Information Mr. Dan Manjang, while delivering his goodwill message said government is committed to peace and good governance.
The Commissioner said the Governor, Simon Lalong, has worked assiduously to ensure that peace is permanently restored in the State.
However other speakers at the workshop called on government to embrace regional/state policing as obtainable in the South-West, to tackle insecurity in the zone.
They however all agreed that the media must set agenda for peaceful coexistence and not indulge in heating up the polity through their reports so as to enhance a peaceful society.

Our correspondent reports that the workshop was aimed at sensitising the media on strengthening peace through reportage.