Nigeria Reports
 | Conflict Assessment – Contributing to the Mitigation of Conflict over Natural Resources between Farmer and Herder Communities in Adamawa State, Nigeria – December 2022Adamawa State, Northeastern Nigeria, has been faced with conflict related to the utilization of natural resources, particularly land and water resources. This has resulted in widespread conflicts in which property and lives have been lost especially in local government areas (LGAs) like Demsa, Numan, Girei, Lamurde and Mayo Belwa. The community-based organizations/groups such as Peace Architecture Dialogue (PAD), Community Response and Network (CRN) and so on established through the COMITAS have assisted in building confidence, enhancing social cohesion and enhancing interaction among the conflicting parties. This has contributed to booming business in the communities and advancement of intergroup relationships particularly between the herding and farming communities. |
| Greater Lake Chad Strategy 2021–2031As part of Search for Common Ground’s (Search) organization – wide strategy, the Greater Lake Chad (GLC) region was identified as one of twelve transnational conflict geographies in which Search will focus its efforts over the coming ten years. This summary lays out Search’s comprehensive strategy for the GLC region, composed of the countries bordering the Lake Chad Basin, including Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The multidimensional and transborder dimensions of conflict in the region demand a holistic, regional programmatic, and operational strategy. |
| Report – Media Sector Analysis and Communication Channel Mapping – April 2022Sustaining Electoral Engagement for Democracy (SEED) Project, Nigeria. USAID Mar. 2021 – Nov 2025. Nigeria’s democracy has been hit by various electoral, governance, and security issues thus putting the country at risk of military overthrow. Although Nigerian citizens continue to prefer democracy to other forms of government, the majority of Nigerians are not satisfied with the way democracy works in Nigeria, and local and international observers agreed that the 2019 general elections fell short of citizens’ expectations. Inter- and intra-party conflict dominated the pre-election environment, heightening tensions and raising concerns about electoral violence. The main channels relied on for information include social media (65%), radio (54%) and television (45%). Using radio, especially in rural areas or television, can address large audiences of different profiles and backgrounds while social media and television are more effective with urban dwellers. Entertainment, political news and sports are the most sought out information needs. However, this varies with the target categories, i.e. sports and entertainment appeals more to the youth population whereas the non-youth rely on the platform for political news. In terms of newspaper readership, the most read ones are Punch (35%) and Vanguard (24%), equally, Punch (27%) and Vanguard (13%) are the favorite newspapers. Other preferred newspapers vary with the specific states especially with the local prints which according to the respondents resonate well with them. |
| “Capacity Needs Assessment Report of Senior Staff of Relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to Effectively Implement ONSA Communication Strategy on PVE and DDRR – Supporting the Efforts of the Nigerian Government on Preventing Violent Extremism and Promoting Disengagement, Disassociation, Reintegration, and Reconciliation” Project – December 2022“Capacity Needs Assessment of Senior Staff of Relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to Effectively Implement ONSA Communication Strategy on PVE and DDRR on Supporting the Efforts of the Nigerian Government on Preventing Violent Extremism and Promoting Disengagement, Disassociation, Reintegration, and Reconciliation” Project, Nigeria. February 2022 – March 2023. The assessment tools comprised four components; Individual Component, Organizational Component, Enabling Environment (broader systems), and ONSA Communications Strategy. Each of the mentioned components had Sub-dimensions or indicators and respondents were requested to rate them on a scale of 0-6 where (6.0) represented the highest possible rating implying that the indicator is “acceptable, and needs maintaining” while (0.0) was the lowest rating implying “not applicable or insufficient information”. One of the limitations of the assessment was the low turnout of participants in some states. This was a result of conflicting activities for the stakeholders at the MDAs. Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) working closely on rehabilitation, reintegration, and reconciliation showed some strengths while those that are not working in this context like the Ministry of Budget and National Planning showed capacity gaps. Deputy Directors of MDAs and Community Associations portrayed capacity strength in most of the components that were assessed. Meanwhile, those holding the position of Directors showed weaknesses in most of the components assessed. Comparatively, the Agencies showed more strength to implement the ONSA Communication Strategy on PVE/DDRR than the Ministries and Departments identified for the programme. |
| Media and Communication Channel Mapping of “SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT ON PREVENTING VIOLENT EXTREMISM (PVE) AND PROMOTING DISENGAGEMENT, DISASSOCIATION, REINTEGRATION AND RECONCILIATION (DDRR)” Project ReportMedia and Communication Channel Mapping Report on Supporting the Efforts of the Nigerian Government on Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) and Promoting Disengagement, Disassociation, Reintegration and Reconciliation (DDRR) Project, Nigeria. February, 2022 – March 2023. The aim of the media and communication channels mapping is to identify the media and communication channels to provide strategic communication on PVE and DDRR to various stakeholder groups in order to achieve one of the program’s expected results, which is to support institutional communication messaging and empower local platforms that will enhance coordination between the federal and state governments and promote a common understanding among government agencies and community members of DDRR and PVE strategies. Findings from the study revealed that 12 media houses were identified in Borno State of which nine (9) are radio stations and three (3) are television stations. Of the 12 media houses, 6 are privately owned while the other 6 are owned by the government. In Adamawa, the study identified Six (6) radio stations and two (2) television stations, out of which five (5) are owned by private individual(s) while three (3) are owned by the government. For Yobe state, two Radio stations and two television stations were mapped during the survey of which all are owned by the government. In Gombe State, the mapping identified five radio stations and two television stations out of which three are owned by the government and four are owned by private individuals while in the Federal Capital Territory, eighteen (18) radio stations and six (6) television channels were mapped out of which 21 are privately owned stations while 3 are owned by the government. |
| Conflict Assessment in Jere, Monguno and Kukawa of Borno StateEconomic and Social Inclusion Recovery Project for the Lake Chad Basin (RESILAC) Project implemented in Borno State, Nigeria. The project was funded by European Union and Search was in consortium with Action Against Hunger and Care. The implementation period was from December 2018 to July 2022. Conflict and tension in communities across Jere, Monguno and Kukawa remains significant, and is driven by a variety of factors. Relative to previous conflict scans conducted by Search for Common Ground, conflict and competition related to natural resources remains high. These previous conflict scans highlighted that issues related to water points in Kukawa were lessening, however these appear to have grown since November 2021, mostly due to water scarcity. Livelihood opportunities for community members remain limited across all three LGAs, particularly in Monguno where livelihood opportunities for farmers and herders are significantly impacted by ongoing conflict between groups. Internally displaced people (IDPs) report difficulties in accessing livelihoods, as a result of selling cattle to buy critical supplies, and prejudice from host community members. The impacts of lack of livelihoods are also a key factor influencing social cohesion; community members report that anti-social behaviour from out-of-work youths is a primary stressor on community cohesion, and stress a need for programmes and interventions. Search is mentioned favourably in relation to conflict management and mitigation across the three LGAs, so much so that little critical feedback has been provided. Specific activities including dancing and games are identified as particularly beneficial for addressing community tensions between groups. Religious and traditional leaders, and elders were also identified as positive influences in the community and key actors in conflict mitigation, particularly related to flash-points, for example conflict at water points. |
| Note d’Analyse – Violence urbaine au Nigéria : défis, opportunités et recommandationsLe Nigeria, pays le plus peuplé d’Afrique, hébergera certaines des villes les plus dynamiques et les plus grandes du continent au cours des prochaines décennies. Le Nigéria représente un baromètre des problèmes découlant de l’urbanisation rapide. Pour plusieurs personnes, l’exode rural offre des perspectives d’emploi et une vie meilleure. Pourtant, lorsque cette explosion démographique se produit parallèlement à une mauvaise gouvernance, à un manque de planification urbaine et de développement des infrastructures, et à de profonds clivages sociaux, les conflits et la violence prévalent. Des universitaires et des praticiens d’Abuja, Lagos, Kano et Port Harcourt se sont réunis pour discuter de la violence urbaine dans les villes en pleine croissance du Nigéria et ont identifié six caractéristiques clés et facteurs de risque de la violence urbaine ainsi que les possibilités de prévenir une nouvelle escalade. |