2019: Saudi Arabia centre trains 30 youth organisations against political violence

The King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Saudi Arabia, is engaging 30 youths organisations in Kaduna on the need to embrace peace during the 2019 general elections.

The two-day training and dialogue is to be carried out by an NGO under the aegis of  Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) at the Assad Pyramid hotel, Kaduna.

Speaking during the opening ceremony on Monday, the IDFP convener, Dr Auwal Farouk Abdulsalam remarked that the aim of the training was essentially to educate the youth from the both Islam and Christianity backgrounds about the importance of a non -violent and free election in the country.

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According to him, Kaduna and Plateau states have been selected for the training of the youths because these states are usually prone to political violence whenever there’s a general election.

Abdulsalam noted that thousands of people were reported to have died as a result of election violence in these areas, saying, we want to change the narrative by telling them to refrain from being used by politicians.

‘The purpose of this gathering is to expose the vibrant youth of our nation, who have been used negatively to incite violence and causing pain and destruction to our own future.

‘I will want to use this medium to inform you today that we must be the change we want to see and we must stand firm to ensure that we replicate this same knowledge to our various youth groups and formations so that we can make our society free from violent conflicts.

In their remarks both the State secretaries of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atul Nasirul Islam (JNI),  Reverend Sunday Ibrahim and Ibrahim Kufena respectively resolved that the incoming elections must be free and credible.

According to CAN secretary, Sunday Ibrahim, ‘Kaduna is the backbone of Nigeria, if there’s peace in Kaduna, the whole nation will have peace too. So, as a mini Nigeria, participants(Muslims and Christians)  must speak with one voice.

While, Ibrahim Kufena of JNI said, ‘We go to the same market. Nobody will force one to embrace one religion other than the one you believe in ,so we must relate as one and avoid hate speech.