Tunde Oyesina A policy think-tank group, Nextier has told the Federal Government to pursue peace-building in the country by equipping the youth with pragmatic leadership skills.
This was contained in a report by Ndidi Anyanwu, a Policy and Research Consultant at Nextier, titled ‘Rethinking Youth Engagement in Peacebuilding’.
The report states that following the decision to revert to the old National Anthem, peacebuilding initiatives by government and civil society groups need a paradigm shift, moving from top-down to more inclusive models, as there was a need to invest in programmes that equip young people with the necessary skills and knowledge to be effective leaders in peacebuilding.
“There is a need to establish funding streams specifically dedicated to supporting youth-led peacebuilding projects. Collaborative approaches between youth-focused government ministries, universities, CSOs, and INGOs are needed to establish mentorship programmes that connect young peacebuilders with experienced mentors.
“Peacebuilding efforts should actively seek the participation of young people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. It is crucial to dismantle the systemic barriers preventing youth from having a meaningful impact; while the government needs to address young people’s challenges, such as limited access to education and economic opportunities,” she stated.
Anyanwu’s report insisted that “by fostering a culture of transformative youth engagement, we unlock a reservoir of creativity, innovation, and context-specific solutions capable of addressing the multifaceted challenges confronting our world today”.
She noted that the future of peace undeniably lies in the hands of young people, pointing out that Nigeria boasts a significant and vibrant youthful demographic, with about 70% of its population being under 30.
“Young people bring innovation and open-mindedness to the table. Today’s conflicts are often multifaceted, involving new actors, technologies, and ideologies. Traditional approaches, like the emphasis on state-centrism and elders’ mediation, might not be adaptive enough to address these novel challenges.
“Young people are less bound by these traditional approaches and more willing to experiment with new ideas”, she stated
Anyanwu also highlighted the imperative of overcoming the challenges to youth engagement, some of which she listed as Adult-Centric Decision-Making, Stereotypes and Marginalisation, Tokenistic Inclusion, Lack of Funding and Resources, as well as Socio-Economic Challenges.
