Religious Freedom Project in Middle Belt Nigeria

For decades, the Middle Belt area of Nigeria has been a focal point for crises arising from interreligious violence and intercommunal mistrust. In particular, Kaduna and Plateau States have witnessed violent conflicts widely observed to have arisen from “tensions between ethnic groups rooted in the allocation of resources, electoral competition, fears of religious domination, and contested land rights” in Plateau State and similar decades long tension amongst the different ethnic groups in Kaduna State. While Kaduna has a long history of conflict amongst different ethnic groups that make up the state, the unrest and social tensions in Plateau, which turned especially violent around 2001, is perceived to be a new, dangerous turn of events by many of the older generation. The project’s objective is to Increase peacebuilding, project management, and conflict management skills among youth of Kaduna and Plateau States; and Increase opportunities for youth-led action to build inter-communal tolerance and peace in targeted communities. The problem will be addressed by working with young leaders in Kaduna and Plateau States of Nigeria.to drive peace and tolerance building processes, thereby addressing the challenges of religious intolerance through an intersectional approach from a local perspective with locally led design and ownership. The YPA cohorts’ activities are intended to build awareness and tolerance of differing religions, beliefs, and-non beliefs. The intervention aims to reach a total of 200 direct beneficiaries from 10 communities in Kaduna and Plateau States through participation in YPA courses thereby empowering them to lead in promoting religious tolerance in their communities. Approximately 5 million indirect beneficiaries will also be reached with messaging that builds inter-communal peace and tolerance through their community initiatives and radio sessions.