For decades, the Niger Delta was defined by violence, militancy, and mistrust. Today, a new narrative is emerging—one where communities are taking ownership of peace and charting new paths for collaboration. At the center of this transformation is the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), working alongside partners to create structures that put peace in the hands of the people.

Through the EU-funded project, “A Community-Centered Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta,” implemented with Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), PIND has been equipping communities across Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States with the tools to resolve conflict and build trust.

Building Systems for Early Action

One of PIND’s most substantial contributions to peacebuilding in the Niger Delta is its Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) System. Through the EU-funded project, PIND has trained more than 300 peace monitors across 66 communities to identify and respond to conflicts before they escalate. The training was conducted in two phases—an initial training and a refresher session—ensuring that community members are not only equipped with conflict prevention skills but also continuously strengthened to play active roles in sustaining peace.

Thanks to PIND’s EWER system, a notable example of its impact comes from Rivers State, where a peace monitor, Fibika Yingibi Morrison, demonstrated its life-saving ability. When confronted with a tense situation involving a suspected thief risking mob violence, Fibika quickly intervened by engaging the community chairman and local police to effectively reduce tensions and prevent tragedy. Stories like Fibika’s highlight how ordinary community members, when empowered with training, tools, and trust, can step into active peacebuilding roles and create safer, more resilient communities across the Niger Delta

Rebuilding Trust Between Communities and Security Actors

For many young people in the Niger Delta, security agencies were long seen as adversaries rather than allies. However, through dialogues and social cohesion initiatives facilitated by the project, that perspective is beginning to change.

By continuously creating safe spaces through activities such as intercommunal peace initiatives, social cohesion forums, and dialogue sessions, thousands of youths, community leaders, and security actors from across Bayelsa and Delta States have gathered to break down decades of mistrust.

For many participants, it was their first time sitting across from police or civil defense officers in a spirit of dialogue rather than confrontation. These conversations are rewriting relationships and laying the foundation for cooperation instead of conflict.

Harnessing Culture as a Pathway to Unity

Through the EU-funded project, PIND has leveraged the Niger Delta’s rich cultural heritage as a strategic entry point for peacebuilding. Between 2024 and 2025, more than 3,600 individuals across Bayelsa and Delta States participated in arts and cultural activities designed to promote dialogue and cohesion. Using drama, dance, music, and sports, communities were encouraged to reflect on peaceful approaches to conflict while strengthening relationships across ethnic and generational divides.

A notable feature of these activities was the deliberate inclusion of women and youth, groups often marginalized in traditional peace processes. Their active participation elevated diverse perspectives and reinforced the principle that sustainable peace requires contributions from all segments of society.

Success Story: From Militancy to Mentorship

The European Union–funded initiative is delivering results that can be measured not only in numbers but in human transformation. By equipping communities with tools for peace, PIND and its partners have helped individuals turn away from conflict and toward leadership. The story of Amiengi John from Opuama in Bayelsa State demonstrates this shift. Once engaged in illegal oil bunkering, John abandoned that path after coming into contact with PIND’s peacebuilding programs. Today, he leads sensitization campaigns against drug abuse and oil bunkering, using his own journey to inspire other young people to reject crime and embrace positive change. John’s transformation reflects a larger truth: that peace is most potent when it is practical, lived, and rooted in community action. His story is just one of many showing how this initiative is reshaping the Niger Delta from within.

Looking Ahead

As the initiative progresses, PIND and its partners are committed to consolidating progress by strengthening community-based peace structures, fostering deeper collaboration with security actors, and creating greater space for youth and women to lead. The next phase will emphasize scaling successful interventions to additional communities, ensuring that the progress made so far evolves into a sustainable culture of peace across the Niger Delta.

NDLink is proud to amplify the efforts of organizations like PIND Foundation and its partners—Search for Common Ground and Stakeholder Democracy Network—through the support of the European Union in building a more secure and resilient Niger Delta.