L-R: Rev John Hayab; Rev Sam Oye; Dr Abdulfatah Adeyemi; and Mr Rafiu Lawan —the panelists at the peace round table held at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja to herald the celebration of the 2024 International Day of Peace slated for this Saturday(NAN).
By Mark Longyen
Ahead of this year’s commemoration of the 2024 International Day of Peace this Saturday, some experts have called for mainstreaming of leadership roles for the youths as panacea for achieving sustainable peace in Nigeria.
The experts, who spoke separately, made the call at a roundtable organised by the United States’ Embassy in partnership with the Global Peace Foundation in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, Rev. John Hayab, Country Director, Global Peace Foundation, Nigeria, suggested that a system must be deliberately created to give young people the opportunity to participate in leadership roles.
Hayab, who decried the marginalisation of the youths in political participation, identified lack of access to quality education and cultural practices as factors responsible for lack of participation of youths in leadership and peace-building.
He advised that equal opportunity should be given to the youths to enable them realise their full potential and attain leadership positions.
According to the cleric, the best way to prevent violence and synonymously create a peaceful environment is to channel the energy of the youths toward the country’s development.
“The amount of energy used in cybercrime, drug addiction and other social vices can be channeled toward developing this country.
“So my appeal is for us not to let things just slide; we must listen to these young people, get them engaged, get them busy and create employment opportunities for them.
“Motivate them to venture into what is best for them. These are young people who know how to enjoy life.
“With small data in their phone, they can remove their anxieties, key into whatever is going on in the world and they are okay.
“So, I wish we can take note of this and begin to encourage our young people to begin to appreciate our culture, and understand that the culture of peace is not something that is negative but positive,” Hayab said.
Also speaking, Dr Abdulfatah Adeyemi, Director, Baynakum Family Counselling Centre, said that the youths must be given the opportunity to realise their potential and participate in leadership roles.
Adeyemi described the Nigerian youth as resilient people, noting that if allowed to function in a peaceful atmosphere would achieve greater things.
Rev. Sam Oye, one of the panelists at the event, recommended inclusive leadership that would provide opportunities for young people, adding that such move was crucial toward sustainable peace and development.
Oye, who is also the Founder, Tranformation Church International, described Nigerian youth as vibrant people, insisting that proper mentorship would enable them excel.
“Today, our young people are doing amazing things in ICT and many other areas, and so it’s important for inclusive leadership to become a part of our way of life.
“The youth constitute 60 per cent of our population, so, our leaders must not neglect them; they have so much to offer this country.
”They are not looking for anybody to feed them but to create the right opportunities for them to thrive.
”It takes a secure leader to be inclusive, unfortunately, one of the challenges we have is the fact that we are not secured in ourselves,” Oye said.
On his part, Mr Rafiu Lawan of the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, faulted the approach some advocates use in promoting peaceful coexistence in the country.
He urged Nigerian leaders to close all existing gaps between them and the country’s teeming youth population, so as to curb violent extremism.
“As young people, one of the limitations that we have, especially from my own experience, is that we appear more as activists rather than advocates.
“The society that we live in is one that is not open to change but then if we are going to make any meaningful transformation, then we have to present ourselves as advocates.
“So, I think the best way to prevent violence is to let the young people know that it’s supposed to be violence against hunger and poverty, not against their own state without which they cannot achieve anything.
“So, we will not destroy our nation, we should rather use that aggression to build a great nation,” Lawan said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United Nations had set aside every Sept. 21 to commemorate the International Day of Peace.
NAN also reports that the 2024 celebration has the theme “Cultivating a Culture of Peace.”(NAN)
