By Anne Azuka
A Non Governmental Organization (NGO) popularly known as Noble Delta Women for Peace and Development (NDWPD) has decried the activities of land grabbers in farming communities which has brought more negative influence than positive, particularly in areas of displacement, disposition, loss of sources of income and feeding, human rights violation and environmental degradation.
The Executive Director Noble Delta Women for Peace and Development (NDWPD), Mrs. Caroline Usikpedo-Oliseowe stated this in Asaba while speaking to newsmen on Gender, Land Grabbing and Forest Degradation in the South-South, Nigeria.
Usikpedo-Oliseowe called on Government and relevant stakeholders to implement actions that would address land grabbing and forest degradation in South-South and Nigeria in general.
She advised that women must be recognized as critical stakeholders and should be consulted for their inputs in any Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the community and any investors, be it government or private investors before signing agreement.
The group advocated for gender equality and inclusion, saying that women should be included in the negotiating team with any investors coming to the community.
According to NDWPD, the community as a way of Corporate Social Responsibility, should liaise with the investors to provide equitable secondary livelihoods in form of skills acquisition training, grants and loans schemes for the women/adolescent girls and boys to assuage the loss of their farmlands and not for selfish gains.
She added that training and capacity building for the community leadership on Forest preservation, Governance/Strategic Leadership, Women in Peace building, Communication, lobbying, negotiation, mediation and conflict handling styles should be put in place.
“Communities should be empowered to embark on tree planting exercises in order to avoid our forest going into extinction, boost economic activities and livelihood enhancement as well as conservation of our rich biodiversity.
” It is every community’s vision to develop to greater heights and to have a positive impact on the livelihood of its individuals. Land acquired for the production of food, etc, can be of great impact to everyone involved”, she noted.
END.
