As Nigeria marks the 2024 International Children’s Day, the Idimuwem Peace and Governance Initiative, IPGI, has called on Nigerians to build children’s capacity for peace and effective conflict management.
Convener of IPGI Peace Art Competition, Ms Uduak-Abasi Akpabio, who made the call at the launch of the Peace Tale Competition Nigeria 2024, on Monday in Abuja, said children remain an important element for peace in Nigeria on the long term.
Akpabio stressed that children aged 8-10 can indeed engage on issues of peace and conflict, adding that if the nation must build capacity for peace and effective conflict management, it has to start early and start with children and young people.
According to her, the conversation on peace is an important issue for Nigeria in view of security challenges in some parts of the country, but that conversation must also begin with children.
“We realise the importance of starting early to build capacity among our citizens for peace, effective conflict management and good governance.
“Yes, there’s a lot of stabilization work going on in places that had violent conflicts to stabilize the country, but we realise that an important element in the long term, to build capacity for peace and effective conflict management is to start early and to start with children and young people.
“That’s one of the mandates and initiatives of IPGI; the peace art competition is targeted for children aged 8-10. We realise that children can indeed engage on issues of peace and conflict. We can build the capacity of children, but we need to use a medium that children understand and engage and would enjoy.
“While we advocate for peace education, we’ve put together books that can be used for peace education curriculum for children.
“It’s important to reinforce every messaging, give opportunity for children to think through the different concepts and in this year, we are going to be looking at the theme unity in diversity,” she said
While announcing the theme for the 2024 peace competition which is “unity in diversity,” she said every competitor will make a drawing that depicts unity in diversity in a manner that children between the age of 6-10 years can think through the process and understand the message of peace.
Akpabio said entry for the competition would be opened on June 25 for a period of two weeks to allow interested competitors from all parts of the country to be enlisted, after which competitors would be given a month to turn in their artistic drawings on unity in diversity.
On her part, the Programmes Officer of a youth-based nongovernmental organization, Youth Alive Foundation, Precious Essien, said understanding and practicing conflict resolution from a very young age will help children to develop personal and social harmony.
Essien stressed that conflict resolution is a vital key in life and equips young people with the ability to navigate disagreements and build healthier relationships, adding that the peace art competition aligns with the objectives of the foundation.
While saluting every child on the occasion of the 2024 children’s day celebration, she described children and their unique abilities as an essential part of the human society.
Earlier, a representative of the Embassy of Belgium in Nigeria, Chilotam Chibundu, stressed that the goal of peace was shared by artists of all ages, and by diplomats, stating that “when the guns are silenced, diplomats negotiate and sign the peace.”
Chibundu, who is also the Political and Economic Officer at the embassy, said art was essential in depicting peace even at the United Nations’ level.
“As they say a picture says more than a thousand words. That is why you will be challenged to capture Peace in an image, rather than in words. As it happens, Belgium has tried to do as much, just five years ago when the country campaigned to earn a seat in the Security Council of the United Nations.
“Building peace, both within the United Nations and in our daily lives, is always a work in progress. It will be your job now to depict it in your own language of lines and colours. Good luck with that! The Embassy of Belgium is eagerly awaiting to contemplate your works of art,” she said.
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