The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) says its Partners for Peace Network (P4P), which is a network of local organizations that work together to promote peace in the Niger Delta region, uses geospatial analysis to identify areas of conflict in the Niger Delta Region and develop strategies for early warning signals as well as strategies to resolve them.

PIND said it has also employed the same method in its work with farmers in the region where they were able to map out areas where farmers were experiencing low crop yield and the information was then used to develop strategies to improve harvest.

Highlighting the pivotal role that geographic analysis plays in identifying paths to harmony, growth and prosperity of communities, the Capacity Building Coordinator of PIND’s Peace Building Program, Dr Chukwudi Njoku said “we identify and map conflict hotspots to understand the patterns, dynamics and trends of conflict in the region using primary and secondary data.

Dr Njoku, who said this in a keynote paper presentation at the 1st Zonal Conference of the South-South Zone of the Association of Nigerian Geographers, stated that PIND has trained 500 peace monitors domiciled in communities within the Niger Delta in the last year alone.

“Between last year and this year we’ve trained 500 peace monitors who help to send reports of conflict in real-time as they happen, helping us and other organizations that rely on our data for targeted intervention in communities, especially those that are hard to reach.”

He explained that, using geographic analysis, peace actors have also been used to identify and map their geolocation to be able to know which actor can best respond to any given conflict situation.

He said PIND has also helped to establish conflict prevention committees and conflict prevention councils, which include traditional rulers from conflict-prone localities, to prevent conflict.

Dr. Njoku encouraged the conference attendees to embrace the spirit of enquiry and collaboration in problem-solving, stressing that “let us engage in thoughtful discussions, challenge assumptions and explore uncharted territories of possibilities that emerge when we marry geographical analysis with our collective expertise”.

“Let our deliberations spark new ideas, innovative solutions and enduring partnerships that ripple far beyond this audience.”

The Chief Host of the Conference and Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Georgewill Owunari opened the event with a charge on delegates to come up with ideas that would help to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Also, the Chairman of the Conference Organising Committee, Prof. Olanrewaju Lawal said that beyond fostering the exchange of knowledge, the event was crafted to “resonate as a clarion call for the significance of geographical insights in shaping the very fabrics of our society”. 

Speaking to newsmen outside the venue, the Head of Department of Geography and Regional Planning at the Rivers State University, Prof. Precious Edeh called on the Government to provide livelihoods for communities that suffer from floods to enable them to recover from the devastation.

In the same vein, Professor Vincent Weli of the University of Port Harcourt, who spoke with Kristina Reports on the sidelines of the event, said it is important to clarify that the kind of flood experienced in some parts of Port Harcourt during the rainy season is different from the one causing devastations to communities along the Orashi River.

“It’s not a matter of clearing drainages. These are low-lying areas close to the Orashi River. When the Orashi overflows its banks it automatically inundates the communities around it.”

He recommended that the Orashi River be dredged to ameliorate the impact of floods and also encourage people living on low-lying planes to relocate to higher grounds.

The South-South Zonal Conference of the Association of Nigerian Geographers, which was held from the Sunday to Tuesday, August 20 to 22, 2023 at the Faculty of Law Conference Auditorium of the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, was co-sponsored by PIND.

As part of the opening ceremony, several individuals were honoured with Merit Awards for their contribution to the growth of the discipline.

The next edition of the conference will take place in 2025 and will be hosted by the University of Calabar.