Mercy Corps, a non-governmental organisation, has streesed the need for youths engagement to ensure conduct of peaceful 2023 general election.
Deputy Chief of Party, Community Initiative to Promote Peace (CIPP), Sani Suleiman stated this during the North-West zone Dialogue for Peaceful Election held on Wednesday in Kano.
According to him, the dialogue is being organised under the CIPP for the seven states in the zone.
CIPP is being implemented by Mercy Corps with support of the United State Agency for International Development (USAID).
It is a peace building programme that seeks to prevent violent conflict in the most at risk communities in Northwest and North Central regions.
He said: “Our major objective in the CIPP is the promotion of peace in the communities and improve their ability to peacefully manage disputes”.
Suleiman said the organisation was working with community leaders, women groups and state level actors to improve their ability to resolve disputes.
He said security agencies, community and religious leaders and other stakeholders must be vigilant and take responsibility for supporting security efforts in the states.
He said that community leaders and electorate, especially the youths in Kano, Kaduna and Katsina should embrace peace to ensure peaceful election.
Suleiman advised the youths to eschew political and electoral violence that could adversely affect the conduct of free, fair, credible and acceptable elections in the country.
He said the programme had organised engagement on parenting for peace, conflict sensitivity and policy advocacy with relevant government agencies, security agencies and traditional institutions.
“CIPP is also promoting early warning and response to mitigate violence”.
Also, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Kaduna State, Alhaji Galadima Soba described the programme as timely, and called for more youths engagement to promote peace.
Soba, who is one of the participants, said the agency would collaborate with development organisations towards ensuring effective grassroot mobilisation for peaceful, free, fair and credible election.
He urged voters to conduct themselves peacefully and respect the choice of others to guarantee credible elections, to encourage growth of democratic culture in the country.