Community Initiative to Promote Peace (CIPP), a laudable initiative aimed at encouraging peaceful coexistence and foster unity among Nigerians, especially before and during the election season is rounding up their project focused on 2023
election.
The project that was facilitated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Mercy Corp through Africa Radio Drama Association (ARDA) and Canwest Media Nigeria to promote peace in the Northern part of
Nigeria.
According to the statement released by Canwest Media Nigeria, a leading advertising and marketing firm in Nigeria, who has been executing the strategic media planning and buying of this project, “The CIPP project comes at a crucial time as Nigeria proceeds to the election season from different challenges that have been facing the country due to insecurity and non peaceful interactions amongst citizen caused by high rate of unemployment and poverty.
“But as a responsible media organization, Canwest Media Nigeria recognizes the importance of peaceful and transparent elections in ensuring the stability and progress of the country.”
The statement noted that through the CIPP initiative, USAID, Mercy Corp and ARDA have achieved unity and peace awareness through a radio drama series ‘Wake Daya’ and ‘My neighbor, My friend’ which focuses on peace through policy advocacy, media outreach, and development programs in the Northwest and North central parts of Nigeria.
The MD/CEO of Canwest Media Nigeria, Mr. Seun Oluwajana, expressed the agency’s commitment to peace in distressed parts of the country and peaceful elections in Nigeria, saying, “as the radio drama series comes to an end, it is our
responsibility to foster a society free of violence and unrest during the election season for the benefit of Nigerians.
“Our partnership with ARDA, USAID and Mercy Corp is a reflection of our commitment to promoting peace and unity.
“The CIPP initiative leveraged the Strategic Media Experience of Canwest Media’s Communication Channels including television, radio, and online media which radio was majorly focused as a means to reach out to the target audience in the
Nothern parts of Nigeria including Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, Kogi and Benue to promote peace and encourage Nigerians to participate in peaceful activities.
“The initiative also organized community-based events, such as town hall meetings, debates, and interfaith dialogues, to promote peaceful coexistence and foster unity among Nigerians.”
He also stated that the radio drama series was designed to engage audiences in social and behavioral change, raise awareness, build knowledge, skill and increase dialogue about violence prevention and peace promotion while amplifying the voices of those marginalized from peace process discussions.
“The drama highlighted the need for citizens to embrace non-violent conflict resolution
mechanisms and the importance of inclusivity and diversity in building peaceful communities,” he explained.
To ensure that the dramas resonate with the local audience and promote community-led initiatives, he noted that they were produced in Hausa, Tiv, and English languages to maximize reach and effectiveness.
“Our dedication to peaceful elections drove us to leverage our media and marketing expertise in achieving this goal. The initiative has been highly successful in promoting peaceful coexistence
among communities and mitigating conflict and violence from last year when the special episode 3.5 commenced with focus on pre-election peace awareness and will be rounding up with Episode 4.0 this month.
In his closing remarks, he expressed his appreciation to USAID, Mercy Corps and
ARDA for believing in Canwest Media for the successful implementation of the
project.
He reiterated Canwest Media’s commitment to continue working towards sustainable peace and development in Nigeria.
He emphasized that his belief is in the unity of our nation, our people, and most importantly, a united Nigeria.
