Abdul Umar
When the frog in the front falls inside the pit, others behind take caution – Ola Rotimi
Irked by the recent EndSars protest that created the dusty atmosphere of insecurity across the major cities like Lagos and Abuja in which several lives and properties were lost, The Nigerian Youth Parliament, in collaboration with Kano State Youth Coalition for Advocacy and Development (KayCad), and Cconjunctio Civil Society Organisation for Peace and Development on Saturday organised a 1 day summit with the theme “Peace For Development” in the bid to brainstorm on salient issues that could be useful in preempting any form of violence and other vices among the youth of the state.
The summit had in attendance several key stakeholders such as the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Abu A. Sanni, ably represented by ACP Uzaira Abdullahi, the Kano State Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Comrade Kabiru Ado Lakwaya, Professor Adama Hassan, Director, Centre forGender Studies, BUK, Rev. Samaila Joshua Awake for CAN Youth Wing, Comrade Abba Ibrahim, NUJ President, Kano State branch, Dr Baffa Baba Dan Agudi, MD Karota and several other stakeholders.
In his opening remarks, ACP Uzairu Abdullahi who stood in for the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Abu Abdullahi Sanni rued that the commissioner would have honoured the invitation to the summit, but was absent due to some pressing issues. He stated that the message from the Kano State command was that of the appreciation for the organisers of the summit who joined hands with other youth organisations, The Ulamas, traditional rulers, academia and religious leaders, coming together in a trying that the country is having challenges mostly from the youths to discuss issues of maintaining peace.
Uzairu extolled the virtue of peace, reiterating that nothing meaningful can be achieved in the absence, as violence halts and hurts all forms human activities. “Peace, peace, peace, that is what is what we all want to have because it is when you have peace, you have freedom, is only when there is peace, you can go to to your mosque or church to worship your God, it is when there is peace you can go to the market and do other activities “, he emphasised.
The CP representative assured that the cardinal responsibilities of the police is to maintain peace and ensuring lives and properties are protected, and that the force will not botch on carrying out these important responsibities.”It is generally known that the major responsibilities of the police are to ensure lives and properties are protected, and with the recent and current developments across the country, the Kano State Police Command, through the command’s engagement in the community police drive, where all the state’s stakeholders were engaged, was able to ensure all the vices that came with the EndSars protests in states like Lagos, Osun, Ondo and Abuja did not escalate to Kano State, especially when the similar ugly trend was rearing its head in Sabon Gari area of the state”, he boasted.
He concluded by enjoying the organisers to continue preaching the sermon of peace, adding that the youths are the vanguard of peaceful coexistence, and they must live up to such billing.
On his part, The Honourable Commissioner of Youth and Sport, Comrade Kabiru Ado Lakwaya commended the organisers of the summit, stressing that it is commendable that the youths are taking their place as the enforcer of peaceful society devoid of forms of violence and vices, being it ethnic or religious.
Comrade Kabiru therefore commended the Kano State government for identifying and recognising the importance of youth in the state, pointing out that the recent creation of the ministry for Youth and Sport was enough suffice to buttress the state government’s readiness to not only include youth in its administration, but develop them for positive development of the state and the country as whole. ” Kano State government since its return to office for the second time established established a new ministry, which is ministry for Youth and Sport. That alone shows the commitment of the kano state government, led by Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to develop the youth, make them productive and to embrace peace and stability”.
Also speaking at the summit was Professor Kamilu Fagge who pointed out that the youth have great roles to play in promoting harmony, stressing that Nigeria is a multi cultural, multi ethnic and and multi religious, and that this is where the youth would play a very important role in ensuring that the unity in diversity of the country is not compromised. “In the past past, the youth played a very important key role in terms of peace and unity of this country, and as the current security challenges in the country show, if the youth are not united, then there are gloom and doom days ahead of the country”, he cautioned.
He then advised the youth to shun violence and all the vices elements that would put the country in further state of perpetual insecurity, and also that they should refuse to be manipulated by others because of their selfish interests.
