The National Youth Development Project (NYDP) has partnered with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) to promote peaceful co-existence among ethnic groups in the country through football competitions.
The NYDP National Coordinator, Mr Bonaventure Chimee, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the inauguration of its State and Zonal Coordinators to organise the football activities tagged ‘ALGON Peace Cup’.
Chimee said at the inaugural ceremony with the theme ‘Promoting Peace within Our Borders’ that NYDP decided to use football, ‘a language every youth speaks’, to promote peace in the country.
He said that the project aimed at promoting peace, reorienting and redirecting the youths toward constructive purpose and pursuit and ultimately contributing their quota to the greatness of the country.
“Everyone knows the problems of the nation, my focus is on how we could get out of the challenges we are currently in.
“Our strategy is to use the platform of the number one sport in the world, which is football, a language that every youth speaks.
”We have come here to inaugurate our state and zonal coordinators, who will serve as foot-soldiers, touch-bearers and managers of peace in various states and zones of the Federation.
“NYDP has decided to arise and campaign for peace and reconciliation in our nation by addressing a critical segment of the society, the youths who constitute the bulk of the society.
“Give the youth direction and they will be committed in the right direction, be productive, successful, impactful and pull the nation out of violence, terrorism and destructive crimes to the promise land of peace, progress, prosperity and greatness,” he said.
Chimee said the football competition would be done in collaboration with ALGON, hence the name ALGON Peace Cup.
“ALGON’s management has demonstrated uncommon capacity and commitment towards the successful implementation of this project and we are indeed grateful,” he said.
In his response, the National President of ALGON, Mr Kolade Alabi, said he was impressed by NYDP persistence and resilience.
Alabi , represented by ALGON national legal adviser, Mr Toafik Isah, said it would give support to NYDP in all 774 local governments across the country.
”We will stand by you and provide the needed security for the project,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that traditional rulers of different ethnic groups and religion leaders at the occasion solicited one indivisible Nigeria and pledged to support the project, promote peace and unity.
High point of the event was the taking of oath of office by all the state and zonal coordinators administered by a legal practitioner, Mr Sunday Adukwu. (NAN)