National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) and Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro have collaborated to advance the course of peacebuilding, security, and national development in Nigeria and across West Africa.
In a joint statement by the executive director of PeacePro, Ambassador Abdulrazaq Hamzat, and the acting national president of the NYCN, Mr. Akoshile Ademola, on Monday, the two bodies said that the people of Nigeria and indeed West Africa are searching for direction in midst of new challenges and global instability.
“The youths of Nigeria needs a new approach to engage the country’s challenges and we need to construct a national platform capable of harnessing our frustration and transforming it into a practicable agenda that will gain acceptance across the length and breath of the country”, the statement said.
Both organizations said they are poised to galvanize people through agenda for peace, security and national development.
“The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) was established in 1964. It is charged with the responsibility of policy formulation and implementation on issues relating to youth development in Nigeria. It is the umbrella body and the mouthpiece of the Nigerian Youths. It was established and given legal recognition in 1990”.
PeacePro on the other hand is a peacebuilding think tank, established in 2016 to utilise data and human-centered approaches to advance course of peacebuilding and national development.
The NYCN and PeacePro came together to join ongoing efforts of government, not only to reform the nation and address youth restiveness but also to offer alternative ideas on security and national development, the statement said.
“PeacePro and Youth Council will be engaging all necessary stakeholders in Nigeria, including Youth Stakeholders, Organised Labour, Media, friends of Nigeria and the government to jointly build a bridge of understanding”.
The youths of Nigeria need a new approach to engage the country’s challenges and we need to construct a national platform capable of harnessing our frustration and transforming it into a practicable agenda that will gain acceptance across the length and breadth of the country.
“It is not enough to be angry and frustrated about the country’s situation, thereby acting rashly and compounding the problems. It is also important to understand the challenges and plan a practicable way forward”, it said, adding that the partnership between PeacePro and Youth Council will attempt to set agenda for actualization and rally the country together on a purposeful mission.
“Additionally, PeacePro and Youth Council shall be engaging the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to understand what is happening within the community and offer alternative ideas of engagement in the interest of the region”.
