A PAPER ON THE ROLE OF THE YOUTH IN PEACE
BUILDING” UNDER THE GENERAL THEME “LINKING DEVELOPMENT & CONFLICT TRANFORMATION
BY AMBASSADOR SAMUEL KRAAKEVI`K KUJIYAT, IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN OF THE
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA CAN, KADUNA STATE CHAPTER, AT THE TWO-DAY
NORTHERN PEACE SUMMIT ORGANIZED BY THE CENTRE FOR CRISIS PREVENTION & PEACE
ADVOCACY (CCPPA) IN CONJUNCTION WITH AFRICAN YOUTH FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
& PREVENTION (AYCRP) AT THE AREWA HOUSE KADUNA ON THURSDAY JANUARY 10TH
2013
Your
Excellency, Alhaji Dr Mukhtar Ramalan Yero
Executive
Governor of Kaduna State
Chairman of
the Occasion
Members of
the Executive Council
Members of
the State Assembly
Royal Fathers
Gentlemen
& Women of the Press
Your
Excellency, may I humbly request us all to rise and observe a minute silence in
memory of our beloved late Governor Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa and the souls of
all the loved ones killed in Kaduna State, Northern States and Nigerian in all the
crisis since independence to date ……. May each soul continue in the state of
rest assigned on reunion with the Creator. Amen.
I would have
declined, but after a deep reflection, over the fact that this Summit has to do
with the Youth and “Peace Building” and also the intractable security
challenges confronting Kaduna State, the Northern States and Nigeria as a
whole, I accepted the invitation & I am here. I am praying with faith and
hope that I will be a reasonable positive voice for the Youths of Kaduna State,
Northern States and Nigeria in whom God has deposited the rich potentials that
if properly nurtured and mentored by the Elders will result in “peace
building”, but if not, the destructive, wicked and evil forces that are ever at
work luring and manipulating them will result in “peace destroying”. May the
Almighty God help us to
desire and choose to do the right thing to arrest the slide into anarchy.
The Press
Release by the Centre for crisis Prevention and Peace Advocacy (CCPPA) in
conjunction with African Youth for Conflict Resolution and Prevention (AYCRP) has
summarized all that needs to be focused on from the Theme of this Summit, “Linking
Development and Conflict Transformation in Northern Nigeria” and from the Topic
I am given to address, “The Role of the Youth in Peace Building.” Therefore I
will dwell and copiously quote from this Press Release to buttress the few
issues I want to point out.
1.
The second
paragraph of the Press Release reads: “Following the rise of intra-state and
interstate armed conflict on the globe, there is a clear indication of the entrenchment
of poverty, unemployment, intolerance, religious extremism or manipulation,
ignorance, distrust, lack of a result-oriented and sustainable conflict
management systems as instruments of governance and corruption among others.”
2.
The 3rd
paragraph reads: “While acts of violence and killing of innocent people under
the guise of religion, ethnicity or tribal affiliations are condemnable, there
is a strong need for leadership at all levels to get their standards straight
and call their followers to order.”
3.
The 5th
paragraph reads: “The gross neglect, non-commitment and abuse of the basic
tenets and demands of Christianity and Islam which include peace, love,
respect, tolerance and exemplary values is a great concern and a call for sober
reflection. According to Mahatma Gandhi, Religion is not something you can tell
others about, it is something you live out and when live it out, it is
self-propagating.”
4.
The 6th
paragraph reads: “Roles in general have been grossly undermined in the quest
for peaceful co-existence and peace building especially those of women and the
youths. The youths who are leaders of tomorrow and the major group that
normally take to the streets during crises times have not been adequately given
the needed attention in this light. Women who are vulnerable on one hand and on
the other hand very influential in the lives of their children, spouses or
relatives have not been adequately engaged in a bid to achieve the needed
conflict transformation.
From the
first major enthno-religious crisis that I witnessed in Kaduna State which
started in Kafanchan in March 1987, and spread to Katsina to the last one of
April 2011, the Post Presidential Election Destructive Violence , over 90% of
those that take to street in an orgy of destruction,
killings, looting, burning of worship places, business premises etc are always Youth and Children of less than
10years. Why are the Youths always at the forefront of crises that involve
violence, killing, destruction of lives and property including peace and
peaceful co-existence? I am asking WHY because we that Youths should play
positive roles towards Peace Building. Sadly, what we have discovered in these
crises is that the roles of Youths are in fact the very opposite of Peace
Building, and I am asking WHY? Majority of Nigerian Youths are HUNGRY, ANGRY,
HOPELESS, etc therefore they are victims of manipulation by Politicians using
Religion and Religious Leaders to fight for the control of Political and
Economical Power.
YOUTHS ARE
HUNGRY, ANGRY, HOPELESS VICTIMS OF THE SYSTEM:
1.
If people
like General Yakubu Gowon rtd who was a youth of 32 years ruled Nigeria for
about 9 years and was toppled by other youthful Army Officers who also ruled
and controlled political and economic power, our youths today do not see that
possibility
2.
If Elder
Statemen like Adamu Ciroma, Maitama Sule, Shettima Ali Munguno, etc who were
all youths when they occupied very prominent political offices and some of them
like Adamu Ciroma who was over 70 years appointed Minister of Finance under Obansajo’s
1999-2003 Presidency, our youths today do not see that possibility
3.
These
fortunate Youths of the 1970s who had access to political and economic power
did not develop the North industrially, educationally and in agriculture to
provide employment for the largely illiterate populace. They catered only for
themselves and empowering themselves so
as to manipulate the large illiterate masses using religion to buy at any cost
political power and continue to dominate. Sadly, we are now being consumed by
the insurgency these acts have created to the point of self-destruction.
4.
Therefore,
the Kaduna State, Northern States and Nigerian YOUTHS of today need to not only
be listened to, but must be apologized
to by the Elders that are 60 years and above, if we expect them to listen to
us.
FIGHT FOR THE CONTROL OF POLITICAL & ECONOMIC POWER: Paragraph 8
and 9 of The Press Release read:
“We must all respond to the need for behavioural
change especially through the adequate understanding and shaping of our
perspectives, differences, need and interests because peace is not the absence
of conflict but can only be achieved through dialogue instead of violence.”
“Any meaningful conflict resolution and
reconciliation requires the active participation of parties involved or
affected in the conflict, since we are all affected directly or indirectly by
the security crisis of the country, it is glaring that this is everybody’s
business or responsibility. True reconciliation involves forgiveness and putting
in place a healing process including the resolve to respect and uphold the move
towards unity of purpose by the entire society. We have the power or the
ability to achieve change and it can be achieved through alternative means,
without violence as change begins within us, with us and among us.”
The time has
come for us to face the truth. For us in Kaduna, since the excision of Katsina
State out of the then Kaduna State in 1987, what then began to happen was a
grapping of almost all the juicy posts of Ministries, Departments and
Parastatals by the Northern Kaduna (Zazzau), and deliberate supersession of
Southern Kaduna qualified Civil servants. Those who challenged this were either
compulsorily retired or dismissed from the service. Bitterness, distrusts etc
must be addressed admission of wrong in order to seek genuine forgiveness and
reconciliation. The agitations of Southern Kaduna for a separate State was
borne out of those events which definitely have been remote causes for subsequent
crises that we have witnessed to date. The election of a Southern Kaduna
Christian as Governor, late Governor Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa in April 2011
went a long way to give hope and heal past wounds of political domination.
Surrendering to what God allows, the sudden demise of Governor Yakowa and the divine
elevation of the Deputy Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Dr Mukhtar Ramalan
Yero and the appointment of Deputy Governor His Excellency, Mr Nuhu Bajoga has
given us both a challenge and opportunity to again mobilize all the resources
of the Youth and Elders into this much needed Peace Building towards positive
Development and Conflict Transformation.
CONCLUSION:
Paragraph 7 and 10 of the Press Release read:
“There is the strong need to embrace the
contemporary and significant order of conflict transformation to more
meaningful and constructive relations across ethnic, religious, racial or
political differences against the violent, devastative and destructive
experiences which only set us back as a people. The enabling environment to
meet basic human needs is a collective responsibility, not just the government
alone because while government is supposed to be accountable to the people, the
people are also supposed to hold to the government accountable. Issues of
participation, equity, justice, respect for the social, cultural, religious
political and economic rights of all and sundry, orderliness and equality need
to be adequately addressed through education, communication and positive
action”.
“The peace loving people of our great country
should remain calm, eshew violence as a clarion call for peaceful co-existence,
better security measures for the protection of lives and properties in a bid to
reap the benefits that come from having a stabilized society are dutifully
pursued.”
With these
words may I conclude that the Youths of our State, the Northern States and
Nigeria know the positive roles they are supposed to play for Peace Building,
but what they lack are Mentors of Peace Builders who will go their level and
mentor them into position of responsibility as Peace Builders. God is providing
us the opportunity to start afresh by first apologizing to these youths and
then move on to other areas of promoting and nurturing peace, peaceful
co-existence.
Thank you.
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