REPORT OF “NONVIOLENT PROBLEM SOLVING? PROJECT HELD ON THE 21^ST OF JUNE, 2006 AT AKPOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL OZUOBA, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA.

Introduction

The Niger Delta of Nigeria is currently one of most violent ridden areas of the world. Port Harcourt and the suburbs have become the centre of militia attacks, criminal extortion of money, armed robbery, kidnapping of oil workers and more. Political assassinations and cases of inter cult fighting as well as intense communal fightings make the rounds. Hence, the need for this project, to address the problem of violence from the educational dimension, with specific target of youths in their teens. There are over two hundred secondary schools in Rivers State alone where the project has started. Our goal is to take the message to all secondary schools in Nigeria. It is a huge task that requires the support of all peace loving individuals of the world. The challenges are many.

Objective of project: To lead the secondary school community in Nigeria to recognise the universal value of non-violent conflict resolution.

Broad Goals:

To achieve a non-violent society

To achieve a non-violent democracy in Nigeria

Below are webshots of the clips of the maiden lecture/seminar at the Akpor Grammar School, Ozuoba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The school was one of the ?/span>most notorious schools in the state, with many reported ?/span>cases of cult activities and armed robbery.

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Fidelis Allen, Head of the Associateship of the Center for

Global Nonviolence, Nigeria.

Pastor Lysias Dodd Gilbert, Assistant Head of the Associateship

of the Center for Global Nonviolence, Nigeria.

Celestine Akpobari, Research/Mobilisation Officer of the

CGNV-Nigeria, co-ordinating the lecture.

School head, teachers and CGNV-N officials/volunteers at Akpor

?/span>Grammar School, Ozuoba, Rivers State.

Group photo of students and CGNV-TEAM

A cross section of students at the seminar

School Head, giving her welcome address at the seminar.

Mr. Adiele Enyinah, a volunteer and staff of the MTN Telecom

Nigeria at?the seminar ground.

Pastor Prince Ngozi, a volunteer and pastor of the Decision

Valley Church in Port Harcourt, at the seminar ground.

Miss Wisdom, a volunteer, unhappy with the level of violence

in the Niger Delta.

A student, suggesting the need to extend CGNV seminars to THE

country -sides where inter-communal violence have been

devastating in Rivers State

Mr.Ayuwu Usen, a volunteer, and a political science student of

?/span>the University of Port Harcourt responding to questions from

the press.

Mr Peaceman, a student of the University of Port Harcourt and

a volunteer, displays a copy of the Nonkilling Global Political

Science distributed at the school free.

Little Osai, questioning the logic of peace in a world filled with

injustice.

A teacher, simply called Brother Mathew, responding to the

lecture delivered by Fidelis Allen

Mr. John Chinedu Ede, a volunteer and member of the

CGNV-N team coordinating a section at the seminar.

Mrs Edit Elenwo, School Head, expressing appreciation of

the school to the CGNV-Nigeria for organizing the lecture/

seminar at AGS Ozuoba.

The Nigerian Television Authority crew

REPORT PREPARED BY:
FIDELIS ALLEN
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT, CHOBA
P.O.BOX 14535
PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA

E-mail: allfidelis@yahoo.com

cgnv_n@yahoo.com

Phone: +234-8063699132, 8057763173,

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