‘Youth empowerment, education to end ethno-religious crisis’

The Director General of Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Prof. Oshita Oshita, has said massive education of youths and economic empowerment could end ethno-religious crises that have claimed many lives and property in the country.

Oshita made this declaration at the weekend in Maiduguri at a Community Peace-building Awareness/Sensitisation workshop.

He said research has indicated that most of the crises are rooted in illiteracy and unemployment among the teeming youths.

Explaining that education of youths and job creation would accelerate peace-building process among people traumatised by the violence, he said:

“The process of resolving conflict in the past through alternative dispute resolution, using the power of traditional institutions no longer works because of endemic poverty among the people, lack of employment and illiteracy.”

Oshita who was represented by the institute’s Head of Community Rebuilding and Coping Strategies, Chukwuemeka Mbah, said the process of resolving conflict in the past was no longer working because traditional rulers no longer wield the kind of power they had in the past.

According to him, confidence in traditional rulers has been eroded due to such structural issues as unemployment, illiteracy and poverty.