Crest Research and Development Institute seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Assistant who will support the development of research documents including research proposals, inception reports and evaluation reports and supervise field teams in data collection and the coordination of regional working group coordination meetings.
By: Imo Silas, Korshima
Last week, I sat in a room filled with peacebuilders, government officials, and community leaders at the SPRING Programme Annual Learning Event in Abuja. What stayed with me was not the polished presentations or carefully framed policy frameworks, but a simple observation from Barrister Chris Ngwodo: “Federal security agents rotate frequently, but insecurity is rooted locally.”
That statement captured a fundamental truth about sustainable peacebuilding in Nigeria. The drivers of conflict are deeply local, and so must be the solutions. Over two days of rich conversations and honest reflections, what emerged was not a neat blueprint for peace, but something far more valuable. We heard grounded evidence of what is working in communities, why it is working, and what it takes to sustain it.
In this piece, I share some of my key takeaways from the two-day event.
Beyond Putting Women in the Room
Lantana Abdullahi from the Women for Positive Peacebuilding Initiative posed a question that challenged everyone present to think more deeply. She asked whether it is truly enough to include women, or whether we must ask which women are included and whether they have real influence over decisions.
Nigeria has close to twenty state action plans on Women, Peace and Security. On paper, this appears impressive. In practice, the impact depends entirely on whether these plans translate into real power, voice, and agency for women at the community level.
Drawing from her experience, Abdullahi explained that involving women in decisions around resource allocation did more than improve fairness. It transformed accountability. When women helped shape the rules, communities adhered to those rules differently. The lesson was clear. Peace processes that sideline women are not only unjust, they are less effective.
The Invisible Wound
One of the most sobering contributions came from Dr Maji Peterz of Carefronting Nigeria, who drew attention to the often neglected issue of mental health. He warned that without deliberate attention to psychological wellbeing, the effects of trauma will surface more forcefully in the years ahead.
Communities affected by conflict across Nigeria have lived through displacement, loss, and violence. Yet peacebuilding efforts frequently prioritize reconciliation and coexistence without creating adequate space for healing. Dr Peterz described efforts to support communities in processing trauma and rebuilding emotional resilience, emphasizing that this work is not an optional addon to peacebuilding.
Mental health support is foundational. Communities burdened by unaddressed trauma struggle to sustain peace, regardless of how well designed other interventions may be. Without healing, cycles of fear, mistrust, and violence are likely to re-emerge in new forms.
Young People Know What We Do Not
Noya Sedi from Global Rights offered a reminder that felt obvious once it was said. Young people are often the first to know when violence is occurring or when drug abuse is spreading within a community. Survivors frequently confide in peers long before approaching elders or authorities.
When young people are excluded from designing solutions, vital entry points for prevention are missed. This insight connected strongly with the keynote message from Dr Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, who reminded participants that peace is not a single event but an ongoing process.
Young people are not only future leaders. They are current intelligence assets with access to networks and information that others simply do not have. Treating them solely as beneficiaries, rather than partners, limits the effectiveness of peace efforts.
Peace Does Not Stop at State Lines
Another powerful lesson from the event was the recognition that conflict dynamics do not respect administrative boundaries. Grazing routes extend across states. Criminal networks operate across borders. Climate impacts and resource pressures spill from one community to another.
Josephine Habba emphasized that peacebuilding efforts in Benue must also engage boundary communities in Nasarawa, because conflict flows freely across those lines. Many programmes are designed within neat jurisdictional limits, but lived realities are far messier.
For the herder whose cattle are stolen or the farmer whose crops are destroyed, state boundaries are irrelevant. The most effective interventions discussed during the event were those that deliberately addressed these cross-border dynamics rather than ignoring them.
What this Means Going Forward
The most important takeaway from the event is that there is no universal blueprint for peace. What works in Kaduna may not work in Plateau. The common thread is not a specific intervention, but an approach rooted in local knowledge, evidence-based adaptation, and institutions that enable communities rather than dominate them. Sustainable peace emerges when solutions are designed with communities, not imposed on them.
The Conversation Continues
What community led peace innovations have you witnessed? How is your organization building local capacity that continues long after project timelines end? We invite you to share your experiences with us at research@cradi.org or connect with us through our social media platforms.
By: Bandin Glory Joseph
In Buruku, Benue State, climate change is not tracked by charts or forecasts. community members see changes in the form of dry riverbeds, shrinking harvests, and seasons that no longer follow familiar patterns. For many families, these changes are not just environmental, they shape livelihoods, daily choices, and growing pressure over shared resources like land and water.
Community members championed a walk to create awareness of the evolving climatic conditions and the need to remain resilient. On this day, awareness moved beyond meeting rooms and onto the streets. As part of the BRIDGE Project’s community road walk, advocacy shifted from discussion to action, stretching from the busy Buruku market down to the bridge over the Buruku River, a vital lifeline and, at times, a contested resource.
Led by BRIDGE project team and 57 trained members of the Local Dialogue Platforms (LDPs), the walk transformed everyday public spaces into places of conversation. Market traders paused, cyclists slowed, commuters listened. The message was simple but urgent: climate stress can fuel tension, but communities have the power to respond early and peacefully.
What made the Buruku walk especially powerful was who was leading it.
Among the LDP members were persons with disabilities (PWDs), stepping forward not as symbolic participants, but as confident mobilisers and educators. Backed by training on climate-smart practices, early warning, and conflict-sensitive resource management, they spoke from experience, both lived and learned.
“Before, we practiced dry-season farming on a very small scale,” shared Lami Njei, a PWD “But with the knowledge gained, we have expanded our cassava farm.”
Her words landed because they reflected action, not theory. They reinforced a key idea running through the walk: resilience is practical, and when livelihoods become more secure, the risk of conflict reduces.
Rather than gathering people in a hall, the team met Buruku where daily life unfolds, engaging farmers, traders, youth, cyclists, and passers-by through open conversations supported by flyers, banners, and local languages. These exchanges made the links between climate change, resource competition, and social tension easy to grasp, while also highlighting practical ways communities can respond. The visible leadership of persons with disabilities at the centre of these interactions shifted perceptions and built trust quickly. As they explained early warning mechanisms and shared personal examples of adaptation, community members listened with attention and respect. Although the road walk followed a simple format used elsewhere, its impact in Buruku was shaped by inclusive leadership and local context. The message resonated clearly: while climate change continues to test communities, inclusion strengthens their response. When everyone, regardless of ability can understand the risks, apply the solutions, and lead the conversation, peace becomes something communities actively build together. In Buruku, many voices walked with one message: climate resilience and peace grow strongest when no one is left behind.
By: Benard Okereke
Inside a groundbreaking project that’s turning conflict over scarce resources into collaboration for a resilient future.
In Nigeria’s Middle Belt, the lines between a climate crisis and a conflict crisis are blurring. As fertile land and water become scarcer, competition intensifies, threatening the peace that communities in states like Benue and Plateau desperately need.
But what if the same forces driving tension could also fuel collaboration? This is the bold question at the heart of the BRIDGE Project (Building Resilient Communities: Integrated Climate Adaptation and Conflict Mitigation), implemented by The Crest Research and Development Institute (CRADI).
We’re moving beyond theory and into action. Right now, our team is on the ground in Buruku, Bokkos, and Jos North, conducting a vital pulse check. This isn’t just a routine assessment; it’s a listening tour at the intersection of survival and harmony.
We’re Asking the People Who Know Best
Instead of just spreadsheets, we’re using conversations. Through focus group discussions and interviews with farmers, herders, women leaders, youth, and local authorities, we’re uncovering a ground-truth narrative. We’re learning:
This gender-responsive listening process is designed to harvest actionable insights. The goal is simple: to amplify what works, quickly adjust what doesn’t, and ensure that every intervention is community-powered.
From Local Insights to Lasting Impact
The stories and data we gather won’t sit in a report. They are the direct fuel for our adaptive management. They will shape:
This quarter’s assessment is more than a milestone; it’s a testament to a core BRIDGE belief: lasting resilience is built when communities are empowered to lead both climate adaptation and peacebuilding, together.
Stay tuned as we share key findings from the front lines of resilience.
Follow our journey or learn more about CRADI’s work in building a more sustainable and peaceful future for Nigeria.
By: Bandin Glory Joseph
The Building Resilient Communities: Integrated Climate Adaptation and Conflict Mitigation in Nigeria’s Middle-Belt Region (BRIDGE) project represents a deliberate commitment to strengthening community-led responses to climate change and conflict. Implemented in Plateau and Benue States, the project recognises that communities are not just victims of climate impacts; they are critical actors in observing, interpreting, and responding to risk.
The first phase of this intervention, implemented in December 2025, was designed to lay the foundation for community-based early warning. At this stage, the focus was not on data reporting but on building structures, clarifying roles, and ensuring that communities clearly understood how early warning systems will function once fully activated.
Across Jos-North and Bokkos Local Government Areas in Plateau State, and Buruku Local Government Area in Benue State, farmers, women leaders, youth, pastoralists, and persons with disabilities came together to identify climate and environmental risks affecting their livelihoods. Flooding, drought, erosion, heatwaves, bush burning, and environmental degradation were not discussed as abstract concepts, but as lived realities shaped by daily experience and indigenous knowledge.
Through facilitated sessions, communities were walked through early warning tools such as hazard logs, observation checklists, alert trackers, and digital reporting platforms. These tools were demonstrated and practiced, allowing participants to understand how observations would be documented and shared through designated subcommittee representatives in subsequent phases. While communities have not yet begun active reporting, there was a clear willingness and readiness to do so once implementation officially commences.
Importantly, inclusion was central to this foundational phase. Women shared insights on changes in water access and crop cycles, youth contributed communication and digital skills, and persons with disabilities highlighted accessibility considerations for information sharing. This collective engagement strengthened trust in the process and reinforced community ownership of the early warning system.
What emerged was a shift from informal observation to structured preparedness. Community members moved from simply noticing climate risks to understanding how those risks can be documented, communicated, and acted upon in a coordinated manner.
As a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Officer, this phase was a powerful reminder that effective systems begin long before data collection starts. My role focused on supporting tool orientation, ensuring clarity of roles, and documenting learning honestly and accurately. This experience strengthened my skills in participatory monitoring, adaptive learning, and evidence-based reflection, reinforcing that MERL is as much about building confidence and systems as it is about measuring outcomes.
This December activity marks only the beginning. From January to March, subsequent phases will focus on activating reporting, supporting designated community representatives, reviewing observations, and strengthening linkages between communities and formal early warning institutions.
The journey toward climate resilience is not built in a single workshop. It is built through trust, learning, and consistent engagement over time. This first phase ensured that communities are not rushed into action, but are prepared to lead it.
When early warning is understood, owned, and trusted, early action becomes possible. And this foundation sets the stage for what comes next.
Crest Research and Development Institute (CRADI) is seeking a highly skilled Data Analyst to join its team and support a diverse range of research activities both across Nigeria and internationally. This role is crucial to CRADI’s mission of fostering evidence-based solutions to tackle complex societal challenges, requiring a professional who can leverage advanced data management, analysis, and interpretation techniques to ensure that research outputs are not only insightful but also reliable and actionable.
By: Bandin Glory Joseph
When the first rains arrived late in Buruku, many farmers returned to their fields only to find their seedlings already wilting. One elderly farmer described how he stood in the middle of his land and felt an unfamiliar fear. The rains had failed him, and for the first time in his life, he could not predict what the season would bring. That simple story, shared at the Buruku Youth Centre, captured the reason the community gathered. Climate change is no longer a distant idea. It is changing daily life in ways that people can see and feel. The meeting brought together seventy-two participants under CRADI’s BRIDGE Project. They included farmers, women, youth, traditional rulers and persons with disabilities. The Ter Buruku and a representative of the Local Government Chairman opened the session by acknowledging the challenges everyone in the room already knew too well. The rainy season is now shorter and more unpredictable. The heat is stronger. Water sources are drying up. The soil is losing the strength it once had. These shifts are affecting livelihoods, household survival and the future of young people who depend on the land.
After the opening remarks, the discussion quickly became personal. Elders
shared memories of how their fields and rivers once behaved. They described streams that no longer flow throughout the year and soils that respond differently to planting. Women spoke about the pressure these changes place on their homes, their farms and their ability to provide food. They explained how sudden dry spells, erosion and new pest outbreaks are stretching the resources of many households. Youth voiced concerns about what lies ahead for their generation. They spoke about extreme heat, water scarcity, flooding and land degradation that threaten both farming and the wider community. Although each group entered the room with different experiences, their concerns pointed to the same reality. Farming inputs are becoming too expensive. Water is harder to access. Road networks make it difficult to reach markets, and agricultural extension services are not consistent enough to support farmers as they adapt to new conditions. Yet, despite these shared difficulties, the atmosphere was hopeful rather than discouraged.
The conversation gradually shifted from describing problems to identifying workable solutions. Elders suggested planting varieties that survive dry conditions and exploring irrigation where possible. Women proposed practical actions such as planting trees around homesteads, adopting better seed varieties and forming women-led groups that can spread climate awareness. Youth offered their energy and creativity, suggesting community tree plantin
g, learning safer agricultural practices and mobilising other young people to protect the environment. These ideas flowed naturally because they were rooted in the community’s lived experience.
By the end of the session, the room had shaped a clear direction. Participants agreed to strengthen existing community structures such as youth associations, women’s committees and farmer groups so that action can begin from within the community rather than waiting for outside support. They committed to regular awareness sessions that keep climate resilience at the centre of community conversations. They also agreed to promote improved farming practices in households and to welcome regular follow-up visits that sustain progress. Traditional rulers and local authorities were identified as essential partners whose continued involvement can ensure community action is supported by stronger governance. As people left the hall, the atmosphere was noticeably different. What began as a day of sharing concerns had transformed into a unified decision to act. The participants walked away with new knowledge, shared understanding and a sense of direction. Buruku cannot control the changing climate, but its people have chosen not to face it in silence or isolation. They are responding with clarity, unity and a firm belief that resilience starts from within the community itself. The BRIDGE Project is proud to support this journey. If you are a community member, practitioner or policymaker who wants to support or learn from these efforts, join us. Share your experiences, participate in upcoming trainings, or connect with CRADI to explore how your community can build climate resilience. Together, we can turn dialogue into action and create solutions that last.
Crest Research and Development Institute (CRADI) is seeking a highly skilled Data Analyst to join its team and support a diverse range of research activities both across Nigeria and internationally. This role is crucial to CRADI’s mission of fostering evidence-based solutions to tackle complex societal challenges, requiring a professional who can leverage advanced data management, analysis, and interpretation techniques to ensure that research outputs are not only insightful but also reliable and actionable.
Crest Research and Development Institute (CRADI) is seeking a highly skilled Data Analyst to join its team and support a diverse range of research activities both across Nigeria and internationally. This role is crucial to CRADI’s mission of fostering evidence-based solutions to tackle complex societal challenges, requiring a professional who can leverage advanced data management, analysis, and interpretation techniques to ensure that research outputs are not only insightful but also reliable and actionable.
Crest Research and Development Institute seeks a Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Assistant who will support the development of research documents including research proposals, inception reports and evaluation reports and supervise field teams in data collection and the coordination of regional working group coordination meetings.
