This pilot project did not only help improve household income, it also facilitated the restarting of productive activities by the beneficiaries. For example, Hauwa Zannah Ali, 40, a beneficiary from Shehuri South, said she used her income to pay school fees for three of her seven children who had been out of school due to lack of funds

Peace has finally returned to Agila. Fifteen years ago, things were very different. A leadership crisis in the small farming community in the state of Benue tore the community apart when two chiefs vied for leadership, beginning a prolonged conflict that cost lives and displaced thousands.

UNDP and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) brought participants from civil society, communities, and security sectors, both formal and informal, to discuss de-radicalisation and counter-terrorism narratives, and the division of roles in stamping out radical ideology.

“This is the first step in stabilizing one of many communities on the brink of famine,” said Joerg Kuhnel, UNDP’s Northeast Nigeria Regional Coordinator. “By providing immediate employment for the most vulnerable people in this crisis, the money they earn can provide for their daily needs until livelihoods are kick-started.”

Despite some difficulties, Nigeria provides a good example of a positively evolving democratic culture. Since embarking on the current democratic dispensation, successive leaderships have shown a commitment to institution-building.

When you meet disability rights advocate Ekaete Umoh, the first thing that comes to mind is how one person can have such motivation. Whether it is engaging with disability rights groups across Nigeria, lobbying parliament to introduce Nigeria’s first Disability Rights Bill, providing training to encourage persons with a disability to run for office, or personally talking with the numerous people who ask her advice on a daily basis, Ekaete’s passion and commitment means that she does nothing half hearted.

As a former secondary school teacher, and as the current Special Assistant on Appointment Management to the Governor of Ondo State in Nigeria, Taiye Gabriel knows the value of a clear plan in achieving one’s goals. So, when Taiye attended a workshop that laid out a twelve point plan for enacting gender responsive policies, she was suitably impressed.

Publications of UNDP Nigeria country office. From knowledge to advocacy products.

Zainab is now part of a programme aiming at creating a new future for displaced people in North East Nigeria. She learns dress making and embroidery at a Skill Acquisition Centre in Maiduguri, Borno State, set up by the Borno State Ministry of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement, with support from UNDP and the Japanese government. The centre is part of the Livelihoods and Economic Recovery initiative of the UNDP Early Recovery Programme.