Dalung: Youth must be recognised as key actors in peacemaking

Solomon Dalung, minister of youths and sports, says efforts towards sustainable peace and security in Nigeria will remain a mirage if the youthful population is still perceived as perpetrators of violence.

He spoke in Abuja at a continental study on “The Roles and Contributions of Youth to Peace and Security in Africa”, organized by the African Union (AU) and supported by the European Union and German cooperation.

The minister, who was represented by Olusade Adesola, permanent secretary, said the need to recognise and appreciate the potentials of youths to positively contribute to sustainable security is crucial, especially at a time when the country is contending with diverse situations that challenge peace and security.

He said the youth must be involved in the social change processes through an inclusive government.

“Until youths are recognised as key actors in peacemaking and security process, the global efforts the and desire for enduring and sustainable global peace might remain a mirage,” Dalung said.

“Often, young people within the age brackets of 18-35 years are the main perpetrators of criminal and political violence, communal clashes and many other security issues.

“This development accounted for the skewed contemporary thinking on youth, largely in the negative.

“Youths must be conceptualised and fully involved as agents of positive change for peace in terms of, they must be engaged and involved in the broader social change processes to transform violence into peace through a more participatory and inclusive situation.”

Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, who was represented by Chimezie Okeoma, head of AU division, said some African youths are seen as perpetrators of the increasingly volatile security challenges because they are “ill-informed and uneducated”.

He said this makes them easily brainwashed and recruited to destabilise societies.

“African youths demographic size have created a vulnerable group of vast army of ill-informed and uneducated recruited as insurgents, involved in violent extremism, transnational crime, human trafficking, drug abuse, money laundering, cybercrime and religious fanatism,” he said.

“We know what is happening in the Sahel region, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, most of the people who constitute insurgency of the non-state actors are uneducated youths, because they don’t know their left and right that is why they are easily recruited and brainwashed.”

Rhuks Ako, representative of the AU commission, said the AUC will work with the ministry of youth and sports development to ensure that the youths in Nigeria are taking into recognition in the AUs programme.