By Cross Udo,
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Nouakchott, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, urged leaders to place a premium on youth development, with more seriousness and actionable ideas in promoting skills acquisitions, while discouraging idleness.
Speaking at the African Conference for Peace, the President said the idleness of youths and non-inclusion in discussing issues that shape their lives and the future portends liability for the continent, especially in religious fundamentalism and extremism.
The President, who was honoured by the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum with the “Award for Strengthening Peace in Africa”, said there was a need to inculcate values and principles of tolerance and peace in educational institutions, and particularly, among the youths.
Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, was quoted as saying, “African leaders and decision-makers should ensure that democratic principles and good governance form the basis for management of affairs in every country in Africa, noting that peace, security, and good governance are inseparable.
“There is a need also for African stakeholders, that is, the government, private sector, and the Civil Society Organisations, to make concerted efforts to support existing mechanisms and initiatives to build strong and virile institutions that effectively support good governance which, inter alia, lead to the development and progress of our countries and continent.
“African leaders must reaffirm their commitment by demonstrating the political will required for ownership of African Peace and Security Architecture and in the implementation of African Governance Architecture.
“We must also adjust the effectiveness of the early warning system and conflict prevention and adopt policies aimed at resolving the crisis of de-radicalisation through continuous dialogues and negotiations,” he said.
Buhari noted that efforts must be concretized towards the curtailment and possible prevention of the circulation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, as well as the festering of foreign fighters into the African continent.
We’ll soon conclude talks on preferred presidential candidate – Wike
The President called for the imperatives of the next Summit of the African Union to take a holistic review of the challenges that continue to fester in Libya with the hope of finding a pragmatic African approach to resolving the over-a-decade-old instability in Libya that had made that country a safe-haven for all kinds of weapons and foreign fighters whose profound impacts stare all in the sub-regions and Africa.
Buhari told the assembly of African leaders that the shrinking of Lake Chad had resulted in dire consequences of the people of the region losing their traditional source of living which culminated in the youths being recruited by the terrorist groups who were seeking means of livelihood occasioned by difficult economic conditions.
He explained that the scenario created serious instability and served as a litmus test for member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) in devising means to restore the livelihoods within the region.
Buhari noted that it was imperative for the African countries, through the African Union, to renew initiatives for finding African Solutions to the challenges of Libya that have continued to remain volatile, hoisting not only a lack of peace and stability in that country but development in the Sahel, Central, and West Africa as well as the Lake Chad Regions.
He thanked the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace under the tutelage and sterling leadership of Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, for the honour of nominating him as the recipient of the “African Award for Strengthening the Peace”.
In his remarks, the President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, said the 2023 conference theme was based on the recommendations of the “Nouakchott Declaration” that emerged from the inaugural conference.
The declaration, which aims to deconstruct the religious basis of extremist speeches and to limit violence based on religious arguments, was enshrined as a reference document in the African Vision for Peace at the 33rd Summit of Heads of State of the African Union.
Bin Bayyah said the 2023 conference aims to strengthen the implementation of the Nouakchott Declaration and grow its popularization.
He said that women would be specifically included during the three days of reflection, debate, and development of concrete peace-building initiatives.
Welcoming African leaders and scholars to the peace conference, the President of Mauritania congratulated President Buhari for being singled out for the award, among other African leaders.
He said the award was given to President Buhari for providing good leadership and promoting peace in a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-linguistic country like Nigeria, and extending his experience and wisdom to other African countries.
The African Conference for Peace 2023 aims to strengthen the implementation of the 2022 Nouakchott Declaration by continuing to address the issues of conflict, misused concepts of Jihad, illegal immigration, girls’ education, and the promotion of peace and development.
