A Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) operating under the aegis of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre has charged governors of Cross River and Ebonyi to enhance the process of land demarcation that have been causing crises between the two state.
Executive Director of the NGO, Mrs Emem Okon, gave the charge on Friday in Calabar while delivering a speech at the capacity building/training workshop on community leaders in Calabar.
Okon said that a clear demarcation of the parcel of land in contention will avert future crises between the two states.
She called on community and youth leaders from the boundary communities of both state to always seek the option of dialogue rather than fighting and destroying properties.
The training programme which is co-sponsored by OXFAM and Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre is organized to built capacities of opinion leaders’ and leaders of thought from two states of Cross River and Akwa Ibom to educate participants on how to impact positively on their immediate communities.
Okon stated that for leaders to remain influential, they must be visionary in a manner that they can accommodate different shades of opinions brought before them by their followers.
She urged the community leaders to at regular intervals organise skill acquisition programmes for youths in their communities so that they can assist them to become self reliant.
“As a leader, you must be straight forward, coach others, be visionary, change agent, decision maker, influencer, team player and above all peace maker,” she noted.
The executive director charged participants at the the training workshop to ensure that the knowledge gained at the training session is put into use when they return back home so as to built an egalitarian society where all can peacefully co-exist with one another.
In his remarks, lead speaker at the capacity training session, Mr Pius Dukor, advocates for the application of wisdom in resolving disputes rather than the use of force in the settlement of dispute.
Speaking on the topic; “Leadership and Community Development”, Dukor charged participants to always lead by example and engaged their followers in the decision making process particularly on matters that affect the community.
“Don’t expect bread and butter at all times upon assumption of this kind of responsibility. Expect opposition from the other sides of the divide, opposition would come.
“At lot of people will oppose you. However, with wisdom you will over overcome all the challenges,” he said.