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IGSR trains 388 violent youths in Plateau 

By Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos
13 September 2018   |   4:15 am
The Institute of Governance and Social Research (IGSR), Jos, has trained 388 violent youth from three local governments of Bokkos, Mangu and Pankshin. 

The Institute of Governance and Social Research (IGSR), Jos, has trained 388 violent youth from three local governments of Bokkos, Mangu and Pankshin. 

Speaking at the training, which was meant to de-radicalise the youths, retired Rear Admiral Samuel Bitrus Atukum, former Military Governor of Plateau State, advocated the culture of peaceful co-existence among all tribes and religious divides in Plateau State. 

He stressed that the primary ingredients for solution to violent issues propounded are for the youth to imbibe the path of peace process.

Admiral Atukum, also suggested re-orientation of the youth and encouraging tolerance, peaceful co-existence, peace building and conflict resolution capacity to be inculcated in them. 

Admiral Atukum, who chaired the closing ceremony of Youth Peace Camp IV, submitted that training the youths was a veritable tool for discouraging them from extreme behaviour, radicalisation and violent responses to real or perceived provocation. 

He explained that the youths, who were trained in the camp and other beneficiaries constitute a strategic instrument for peace and security, adding that not mobilising the youth in a peace-building mechanism is tantamount to actively eroding the very foundation of society, which will result in social and disintegration and dysfunction. 

He noted that youth are the force that must be reckoned with in society, as they constitute the most vibrant, active and productive of both the economy and the society, adding that they also form the most effervescent and vulnerable members of the society and remain susceptible to all forms of negative social behaviours.

“These include criminality, kidnapping, vandalization of public infrastructures, rape, terrorism, human trafficking, cultism, thuggery, robbery, ritual killings and other anti-social activities which erode peace and compromise security resulting in social conflicts and fragmentation.
“Notwithstanding these strong concerns, it is also to be noted that the stability and future of the people is in the youth.”

The truth that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow has become a cliché, which must be repealed. The youth of today are the leaders of today not of tomorrow,” Atukum added.          

Atukum submitted that the roles of the civilian JTF, community policing and the vigilante groups in the Northeast must be recognized and commended. He urged the beneficiaries of the training not to add their voices to those that divide but to the voice of reason, respect, dialogue, equity and peace.
 
According to him, the youth should resist the temptation towards violent confrontation whatever the provocation, real or perceived, expressing the optimism that the overall objectives of the youth will be achieved.          

In his remarks, the President of IGSR, Prof. Isawa Elaigwu, urged the participants to surrender their arms because older people cause wars while the young people do the execution and fighting. He said violence is an enemy of the society and must try to avoid it.  

In her vote of thanks, the Consortium Manager and Vice President of IGSR, Ms. Victoria Isawa-Elaigwu, said the IGSR Youth Peace Camp is designed to bring together selected youth groups from the three local governments to enable them meet like-minded people so that they could learn from one another and build understanding friendship and social networks.         

Isawa-Elaigwu added that the youths are trained essentially to promote peaceful means of settling disputes as against violent means.

          
 

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