Program/Campaign - Face initiative

Programme and campaign

Support for Rural Women in Bayelsa State

FACE Initiative under the Support for Rural women in Bayelsa project enhanced the income-generation capacity of 100 women and girls in Bayelsa State through entrepreneurship development and food processing for export in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady of Bayelsa State and SkillPorte Multinational Ecosystem.

The project was supported by UNWomen as part of its intervention to promote gender equality and employment generation in Nigeria, with the aim reducing poverty and inequality, which has exacerbated gender-based violence against women and girls in the country.

The project built the capacity of 100 women and girls in business management and food processing to enable them take advantage of the abundant seafood in Bayelsa state for export opportunities. It also supported the 100 beneficiaries to register their business names and opened a corporate account for each business. In addition, the project established a food processing hub that brings women and girls across the state to process their food in a hygienic environment with state-of-the-art equipment.

The project further empowered 300 rural women farmers with improved cassava stems and fertilizer to enhance agricultural output. The intervention served as a stop-gap measure to help rural famers recover from the devastating impact of the 2022 floods in Bayelsa State, which destroyed farmlands, farm produce, and seedlings.

Vote Not Fight: Election No Be War Campaign (2023 general election)

The Vote Not Fight – Election No Be War Campaign was a youth focused, non-partisan initiative implemented nationwide to promote youth participation and peaceful conduct in 2023 general elections. FACE Initiative led the VNF campaign across the South-South states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Edo and Rivers, working with selected civil society organizations and community-based organizations in each state.

The VNF Campaign supported a wide range of community and stakeholders’ engagement activities that deepened youth political participation during the 2023 general elections. The campaign increased young people’s awareness and understanding of the electoral process, electoral law and associated penalties for electoral offences. It also enhanced youth participation in Nigeria’s political and electoral processes by promoting non-violent and constructive engagement between young people with political stakeholders, intergenerational conversations, electoral umpire, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders before, during and after the 2023 general elections. In addition, the campaign promoted peaceful conducts throughout the electoral period.

The VNF campaign was implemented with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Advancing Community Capacity for Environmental Protection in the Niger Delta

The Advancing Community Capacity for Environmental Protection in the Niger Delta is a component of Cordaid Restoring the Social Contract in the Niger Delta project funded y Cordaid. The project built the capacities of community institutions to advocate for environment protection resulting from pollution caused by oil bunkering and artisanal refining, while also developing strategies to hold oil companies accountable for equipment failures and other forms of environmental pollution. The project focused on strengthening trust between citizens and government through capacity building, lobby and advocacy aimed at improving service delivery, enhance security, promoted community participation in environmental management and reduce poverty.

The project fostered collaboration among state and non-state actors including community institutions, students/academia, government agencies, the legislature, security agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media, to collectively develop advocacy strategies to address oil bunkering and artisanal refining activities.

The project stimulated environmental consciousness amongst community stakeholders by highlighting the socio-economic, health and environmental impact of environment pollution on the people; Community groups develop and implement strategies aimed at ending oil bunkering and artisanal refining activities. In addition, coastal communities in Akassa, embraced crop production as alternative livelihood to fishing and artisanal refining.

Furthermore, Bayelsa State government adopted and implemented recommendations from FACE Initiative sustainable livelihood assessment research recommendation to promote alternative livelihoods in the state; Over 40 youths benefited from the State Government’s Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) rice programme in Akassa, while more 150 persons facilitated by FACE Initiative benefited from central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) agricultural support programmes. Key government agencies including Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, National Oil Spill Detection Agency (NOSDRA) and security agencies also collaborated in training and sensitizing communities on the need for environment protection.

The project was implemented by a strategic partnership made up of African Centre for Leader and Strategic Development (Centre LSD), Centre for Environment Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), KEBETKATHE Women Development Centre, Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Mac Jim Foundation, Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (SISLAC).

Support Advocacy Initiatives related to the clean-up of Ogoniland (2019-2020)

In 2016, the Federal Government launched the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project as a critical response to the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the pollution of Ogoniland. HYPREP was established as the implementing agency for the Ogoni clean-up programme.

The “Support Advocacy Initiative Relating to the Clen-up of Ogoniland” intervention focused on undertaking advocacy initiatives aimed at putting pressure on the Federal Government to provide HYPREP with the necessary resources to effectively and timely fulfil its mandate of cleaning up Ogoniland. The project was funded by FOSTER II, (Facility for Oil Sector Transformation) a UK funded development initiative designed to strengthen accountability within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

The project also enhanced the understanding and participation of Ogoni people in the clean-up process, while supporting civil society coalitions engaged in sensitization and monitoring of the clean-up progress. The project also increased community awareness on the importance and benefits of supporting the clean-up as direct beneficiaries of the project, while also secured community buy-in from various Ogoni groups helping to ensure peaceful conduct and support for the clean process.

In addition, the project increased community awareness of the emergency measures and sustained pressure on HYPREP regarding the provision of potable water and implementation of health audit in affected communities; Communities gained better insight on the clean-up process and improved capacity to engage HYPREP by airing their concerns and challenges, while also proposing practical and workable solutions, thereby reducing conflict; As part of the outcome of the intervention, HYPREP committed to organizing quarterly joint monitoring visits involving HYPREP officials and CSOs to clean-up sites. The first joint visit was done on 28^th November 2019, before the COVID-19 lockdown.

Vote Not Fight: Election No Be War Campaign (Bayelsa 2019 governorship off-circle election)

The VNF campaign was designed to increase public awareness on the electoral process and promote peaceful participation in election. The campaign secured commitments from potential perpetrators of electoral violence to participate peacefully in the electoral processes. It also engaged key electoral stakeholders including political parties, their candidates and campaigns coordinators; vulnerable youth groups, traditional and religious institutions; security agencies; the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to promote peaceful conducts before, during and after the November 2019 Governorship election in Bayelsa State.

FACE Initiative Team worked with Local Government Coordinators and Project Steering Committee to review the political process, political trends and the electoral law. The Team continuously assessed the changing nature of political violent, hot-spots and triggers of violence by mapping and analysing trends based on information gathered through local government coordinators, community volunteers, the media and other stakeholders. These efforts informed the development and implementation of strategies that promoted effective youth and women participation, as well as peaceful conduct during the electoral process.

FACE Initiative worked with 2baba Foundation, with support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through National Democratic Institute (NDI) to implement the Campaign in Bayelsa State Governorship off-circle election in 20219.

Due to FACE Initiative’s demonstrated commitment and strong community-based structure established through the VNF Campaign, INEC enlisted the organization to extend voter sensitization activities to local communities across the state.

Legislative Advocacy Campaign for the Adoption of the VAPP Act (2018-2019)

The project engaged relevant stakeholders including civil society groups, traditional rulers, relevant state ministries, security agencies and the media, to promote the adoption of the Violent Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in Bayelsa state. The campaign secured the support of a Campaign Ambassador (Asu Ekiye – the Prince of the Niger Delta) alongside a Strategic Committee that contineously reviewed project strategy to ensure the achievemen to project objectives.

The strength of the project was FACE Initiative’s ability to leverage its broad network of stakeholders to advocate for the adoption of the VAPP Act. Through collaboration sustained engagment, the VAPP bill was reviewed in consideration of the peculiarities of Bayelsa State, whilst also awareness campaign and advocacy efforts were carried out to promote public understanding and support for the law. The peculiarities were linked to the activities of violent agitations in the Niger Delta region, which contributed to increase proliferation of arms, cultism, murder, rape and other forms of violent assaults.

Beyond the project timeline in 2019, FACE Initiative continued to collaborate with other CSOs including National Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ) and International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the office of the First Lady of Bayelsa State to ensure that the adoption of the VAPP Act in the state. Sustained advocacy efforts contributed to the signing of the Bayelsa State VAPP Bill into law in February 2021. Futhermore, the Executive Director of FACE Initiative was appointed the Secretary of the Gender Response Initiative Team (GRIT), a Committee established by the Bayelsa State Governemnt to support implementation the VAPP Law in the State.

FACE Initiative work to create opportunities for grassroots participation in decision-making process and environmental protection, to strengthen the fragile peace in the Niger Delta and enhance peace and sustainable development in the region.