Peter Okafor
As part of efforts in expanding early response to security threat, Community Observers, members of the Community Response Networks, Security Actors, Civil Society and Local Government officials has emphasized the need to develop a robust database and appropriate network to facilitate proactive and timely response to threat signals.
The group made the recommendation at the end of the second edition of Community Security Architecture dialogue on Early Warning and Early Response, organised by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre /Transparency International in Nigeria by CISLAC/TI-Nigeria with support from Open Society Foundation Africa (OSF-Africa) held in Enugu.
The Statement which was jointly signed by the Executive Director, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), Emmanuel Acha of Entrepreneurship Initiative for Africa, and Kelechukwu Felicia Amaka of Felicitas Women Advocacy Development and Leadership.
The group noted that Community-based Early Warning and Early Response System is dynamic and characterised by history, location, resources, population and leadership.
“Community-based Early Warning and Early Response system must take into consideration Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Warning Services, Dissemination and Communication, and Response capacity.
Vital assets in Community-based Early Warning and Early Response system includes Associations, Institutions, Structures and Economy”.
The participants also called for proactive information sharing leveraging the national emergency toll-free number (112) to elicit timely response to threat signals.
The group disclosed that leveraging indigenous knowledge and initiatives in information dissemination is a potential threat to elicit Early Response.
“Building community conflict-sensitivity through continuous capacity building for Community-based actors to efficiently respond to threat signals and minimise tensions is essential “.