Dogara urges IDP pupils to be catalysts of peace

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, has urged pupils of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), to be ambassadors of peace.

He gave the advice, on Monday, while playing host to over 600 pupils from four IDP camps in the Federal Capital Territory to mark the 2017 Commonwealth Day.

The speaker charged the children to be ambassadors of peace by promoting and engaging in only activities that would bring peace in order to make the world a safer place, and prevent a reoccurrence of events that led to their displacement.

Dogara, in a statement by his media aide, Turaki Hassan, said, “My charge is that, having been expelled by violence, as you grow up, dedicate yourself to the pursuit of peace so that, that same thing that happened to you will not happen to your children. Be catalysts of peace wherever you go.”

Citing the example of the biblical Joseph, he encouraged them to aspire to any height, even without the presence of their parents beside them, saying God would always support them in their endeavours.

“Even though he (Joseph) had challenges, he had no parents by his side from prison to when he became the prime minister of Egypt,” he said. Adding that, “no matter the challenges, you can overcome it.”

Dogara also emphasised the strategic role peace plays in the development of a democracy, and by extension, the society, saying the consensus about peace was something that can’t be avoided if progress would be achieved.

“The consensus about peace is something we cannot run away from. Nigerians are people of faith and we can’t practice peace without consensus,” the Speaker said.

He added that anyone that was not actively involved in promoting peace would be actively involved in promoting the opposite such as terrorism, militancy and its likes.

He however assured the pupils that they would soon return to their communities where he said provisions have been made for proper schools with buildings.

He also pledged to collaborate with his colleagues to support the building of structures for the immediate educational needs of the IDPs.

“I will speak to some of my colleagues to see what we can do for IDP schools in Abuja,” he assured them.