For seven decades, a bitter boundary dispute completely divided the Kubuku and Wawa Wards in Kwaya Kusar Local Government Area, paralyzing local economic trade and severing deep social ties. However, beneath this generational conflict, both communities suffered from the exact same severe infrastructural deficits. The introduction of joint Community Development Planning (CDP) sessions through the Social Cohesion Project marked a historic turning point. By bringing these historically divided groups into the same room to map their shared needs, the communities transformed their rivalry into a powerful collaborative force. Rather than waiting for external mediation, the residents of Kubuku and Wawa leveraged their newly formed Ward Development Support Committees to pool their own financial resources and rebuild their shared infrastructure, proving that lasting peace is most effectively built through joint local development.

Case Study 1: Resolving a 70-Year Boundary Dispute Through Joint Development

Theme: Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, and Joint Governance

Key Informants:

  • Village Heads: Kubuku Ward and Wawa Ward.
  • Musa Malum: WDSC Chairperson.

The Before Situation: For 70 years, a violent land and boundary conflict deeply divided the Kubuku and Wawa Wards in Kwaya Kusar Local Government Area. Rooted in disputes over farmlands and a revoked Fulani tribe occupancy, the feud was inherited by generations of village heads. The tension was so severe that the current the older Kubuku community head avoided local council meetings entirely to prevent making eye contact with the younger head of Wawa Ward. Recent land sales by the Wawa leadership reignited the conflict, shattering a fragile 13-year calm.

The division had severe economic impacts. To reach the Sunday Peta Market, Wawa residents were forced to avoid the direct 30-minute route through Kubuku, instead enduring a treacherous two-hour detour around the border lines. Decades of intervention attempts by the Nigerian Police Force, the Emir of Kwaya Kusar, and the State Government had all failed to resolve the crisis.

Oxfam’s Intervention and Support: The Social Cohesion Project mapped both wards for Community Development Planning (CDP) sessions. Recognizing that both communities shared difficult mountainous terrain and mutual developmental neglect, the project team proposed a highly ambitious joint CDP session. Despite heavy initial resistance from both community heads, the project successfully negotiated a shared hosting agreement, with each community hosting two days of the four-day session.

The After Situation (The Change): The shared CDP sessions successfully broke the 70-year cycle of hostility. Peace has fully returned, marked by profound mutual respect between the village heads. The communities now cross crossing over to each other's wards for shared meals and community gatherings. In recognition of this historic milestone, the Emir of Kwaya Kusar officially extended an invitation to the project team to commend them for instituting lasting peace where all previous institutional efforts had failed.

Why the Change Happened: The intervention succeeded because it forced co creation and shifted the focus from historical grievances to shared survival. By bringing both groups into the same room to map their community needs, the CDP sessions spurred the residents to mount pressure on their own leaders to abandon the feud. The process built a foundation of trust that immediately translated into joint progress.

Case Study 2: Collaborative Infrastructure and Climate Resilience

Theme: Community Led Infrastructure, Public Health, and Climate Action

Key Informants:

  • WDSC Members: Kubuku and Wawa Wards.
  • Aishatu Saliu (Mama): Older community resident.
  • Village Chief Representative: Wawa Ward.

The Before Situation Both Kubuku and Wawa Wards suffered from severe infrastructure deficits, exacerbated by their geographic isolation and historic inability to pool resources. Kubuku faced inaccessible valley roads and underfunded schools lacking basic teaching materials. Wawa struggled with broken communal wells, damaged water points, and environmental degradation driven by unchecked tree felling and bush burning.

Oxfam’s Intervention and Support: Following the successful joint CDP sessions and the resolution of their border dispute, Oxfam and its National partners facilitated the formal launch of Ward Development Support Committees (WDSCs) in both communities, equipping them with resource mobilization and structural planning skills.

The After Situation (The Change): A massive surge in local agency occurred. Combined, the Kubuku and Wawa WDSCs have raised over NGN 200,000, achieving the highest self-led fundraising total recorded across all three project LGAs.

The communities executed the following independent projects:

  • Kubuku Ward: The committee pooled NGN 51,000, utilizing local manual labour to sand fill an inaccessible valley road with rocks and cement. Additionally, noticing severe educational neglect, they pooled NGN 10,000 to purchase four cartons of chalk for three schools and repaired local blackboards, drastically boosting teacher motivation.
  • Wawa Ward: Residents raised NGN 29,500 and secured two bags of cement to fix a broken communal well. They also raised NGN 14,000 and one bag of cement to repair a major five tap water point. Furthermore, leveraging their new climate change training, the Wawa community reached a unanimous decision to ban all bush burning and tree felling, with strict enforcement protocols in place.

Why the Change Happened: The resolution of the boundary dispute unlocked an unprecedented level of cooperative ownership. The communities developed a profound duty of care for their shared infrastructure and vulnerable populations. This behavioural shift is evident in the health sector, where the Wawa WDSC health subcommittee actively sensitized local women on the importance of antenatal care, resulting in a significant increase in Primary Health Centre visits. Looking ahead, both committees have already established a joint plan to repair a major communal road before the rainy season and rehabilitate the Kubuku pharmacy.

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