Stakeholders call for Peaceful environment for youths to thrive

Stakeholders on peace development have called for a peaceful and enabling environment to help Nigerian youths realise and maximize their full potential towards attaining development and leadership positions.

The call was made at a roundtable dialogue to mark the 2024 International Day of Peace in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The International Day of Peace is celebrated to strengthen the ideals of peace within and among all nations and people.

This year’s commemoration had the theme: ‘Cultivating the Culture of Peace: Integrating Nigerian Youth Voices to Promote Ethical Leadership.’

Speaking at the event, a Representative of the US Embassy in Nigeria, Andray Abrahamian, said youthful existence is vital in nation development.

“Today’s event is designed to empower and engage our youth, creating pathways for young people to take up active roles in peace, building initiatives within their communities every day. Today, is not just to talk, but to inspire action. We hope that at the end of this event, we will contribute to inspiring a new generation of leaders committed to ethical governance and sustainable peace,” he said.

The Country Director of the Global Peace Foundation in Nigeria, Reverend John Hayab said workable systems should be created to give young people a platform to showcase their talent and leadership skills.

“The international community, government, civil society, and organizations like ours must work together to create policies that are inclusive of youth, provide economic opportunities, and invest in education and vocational training. These are not just investments in young people. They are investments in the future of the nation.”

According to the Director of Baynakum Family Counselling Centre, Dr. Abdulfatah Adeyemi, he said it was high time Nigerian youth were allowed to function in an atmosphere of peace to achieve greatness.

“Get them engaged, get them busy, give them employment, motivate them, even if it is farming they want to go into, let them do their farming and enjoy their lives. These are young people who know how to enjoy life with small data on their phones. They can remove the anxieties just 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 to begin to understand that the culture of peace is not something that is negative but has to be positive,” he noted.

In a Panel discussion, the Founder of Transformation Church International, Reverend Sam Oye, and a Peace advocate, Mr. Rafiu Lawan of the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, stressed that Nigerian youths are vibrant and only need the opportunity to realize their goals in a peaceful.

The event with about 50 participants in attendance, was organised by the American Center Abuja, in partnership with the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria.