Worried about the spate of killings across the country, Christian and Muslim youth under the umbrella of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organization and Youth Wing Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) is set for a Peace, Unity and National Integration Summit.
The leaders of the two youth faith-based organizations announced this while addressing journalists, on Wednesday, in Abuja.
The Chairman of the YOWICAN Belusochukwu Enwere while addressing journalists, said that at this time Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges in all parts, the Christian and Muslim Youth are coming together to ensure that they maintain peace and unity in the country.
“I am happy to let you know today that we are proposing a Peace, Unity and National Integration Summit which is the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria,” he said.
He said the summit will be designed to create an all-inclusive and interactive platform anchored by the youth of Nigeria under the two leading religious organizations towards charting a noble course for achieving the goal of a peaceful, secured and sustainable Nigeria.
“It is indeed interesting to note that the peace summit necessitated by the incessant security challenges, killings and banditry that have bedevilled Nigeria in recent times, ranging from insurgency, kidnapping, cultism herdsmen and farmers clash and other act of criminality that has led to the loss of lives and properties.
“We appeal to the youths to embrace peace and stop agitations at the southern part of the country and other parts of the country and come to the round table and discuss the way forward.”
On his part, the National President of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organization, Sani Suleiman the journey so far in Nigeria has been very difficult following insecurity and agitations for separation.
“If we look at Nigeria as a country today and we look at the journey so far, we can say that the journey has been very difficult, whether we look at the journey from our co-existence as people, on the basis of ethnic, religious and sectional background or we look at the social background of Nigerians and how Nigerians are coping economically.
“If we look at how issues of insecurity are bedevilling different parts of the country and particularly, looking at the greatest asset of the country who are the youth, being at the centre of all the problems either serving as political thugs or at the centre of regional and ethnic agitations or at the centre of banditry or crime across the country,” he said.
Suleiman said addressing these problems go beyond press conferences, organizing youth summits, sitting in the comfort of a hall to talk, but all hands must be on deck where politicians and leaders play their roles.
“We are coming from the background of understanding that addressing these problems requires all hands to be on deck, politicians have roles to play, people who are in positions of authority from the president to the governors, down to the local government level must play their own roles in addressing these challenges.
He said there is a need to go down to these communities and engage with the youth in these communities who are involved in these problems.
“For us to address these issues we are coming up with a process of systematic engagement through creating a platform where we can speak to one another and build our identity as Nigerians.
“Let us join hands and support our traditional leaders, our political leaders to make Nigeria better by working as a youth to address the challenges of drug abuse, violence, crimes and rise up as Nigerian youth to say tomorrow will be better for us,” Suleiman added.
Enwere further said that both youth groups are working for the peaceful co-existence of Nigeria. He said the peace summit which will hold in the first week of November this year will bring to the table all the agitations, bickering and whatever has been happening in the country so far.
“We are calling on our leaders at all levels to support this program to the fullest. At the end of the peace summit, we are proposing to submit the report to the President and National assembly for implementation,” he added.
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