Defence minister urges youths to champion unity, peace
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa (rtd), has called on Nigerian youths to take the lead in promoting unity, peace and national development. He said the appeal had become necessary
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa (rtd), has called on Nigerian youths to take the lead in promoting unity, peace and national development.
He said the appeal had become necessary because security, cohesion and development are interconnected and fundamental to the country’s progress.
Musa spoke in Abuja at the weekend during the National Youth Conference organised by the Youth Progressive Empowerment Initiative, which drew over 10,000 participants from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory for an economic empowerment programme.
Represented by Abdulsamad Ibrahim, the minister emphasised that security, unity and nation-building aligned with the theme of the conference, which focused on engaging young people in national development.
He stressed that sustainable development cannot flourish without peace and social cohesion, urging youths to regard themselves as custodians of stability within their communities.
“So all we are asking is for the youth to understand what it takes to live together as one, to unite. Because only when we have unity that we are going to have a progressive nation. No development will foster without unity and security,” he said.
Urging the youths to take ownership of peacebuilding efforts, he stressed, “So we should be vanguard of change. We should also be vanguard in all our communities to ensure that nothing hinders the peace of each and every one of us living in various communities.
“So this is the message we have and this is what we call every youth who is present here today to take back to his various communities. To preach for peace and also preach for unity and also participate in nation development.
“So these are the cardinal things, these are the three elements. No nation will progress without peace, security and unity.”
The YPEI also focused on political participation and economic empowerment, with organisers saying the gathering brought together youths from all 36 States and the 774 local government areas of the country.
The national coordinator of YPEI, Prince Barnabas Ishaya, described the turnout as a reflection of growing youth consciousness and engagement.
“We have over 10,000 youths from across the 774 Local Government Areas of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory gathered here for this conference,” he said.
He commended the participants for their commitment and urged Nigerian youths to translate mobilisation into civic action, particularly voter registration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“This movement is for all Nigerian youths and is aimed at promoting good leadership and ensuring that young Nigerians are recognised and counted,” Ishaya said.
Emphasising the importance of political participation, he said the initiative was aimed at encouraging Nigerian youths not to neglect their civic responsibility.
“We want every youth to obtain a voter’s card and vote because it is our right. Without a voter’s card and voting, the change we are looking for will not happen in this country,” he said.
He said the organisation was building a broad youth base ahead of the 2027 elections, adding:l, “Almost 20 million youths under this platform have their voter’s cards and are ready for the 2027 election.
"Beyond that, we are stepping up voter registration awareness and emphasising the importance of collecting the Permanent Voter’s Card.”
On empowerment, Ishaya said state coordinators had been directed to compile lists of beneficiaries, noting that support would be rolled out in phases.
He also appealed to development partners and non-governmental organisations to support the initiative, saying, “We call on civil society organizations, NGOs and well meaning Nigerians for support and the empowerment of our teeming youths because that is the demography with the future of this country,” he added.
Also speaking, Benue State Coordinator, Amos Kwagheme, said the conference was designed to equip youths mentally and financially.
“That is actually the essence of bringing the youth together. One, we want to educate them, to tell them what they need to know and what they need to do to make sure that they are empowered financially and mentally,” he said.
Kwagheme disclosed that hundreds of youths would benefit from direct economic support, “In this program, well over 200 to 300 youths will be empowered. Maybe by giving them POS machines with some cash to go and start up something,” he said.
He noted that financial stability would enable young people to make independent choices, “Because when you are financially stable, you have a mind of your own and you can be able to make decisions without any external influence,” adding that the target was a 15,000-strong youth rally drawn from across the country.