The Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, has urged Nigerian youths to reject hate speech, misinformation and intolerance as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.
Ochogwu made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a two-day training programme organised by the IPCR for members of the National Youth Service Corps, Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme participants, interns and volunteers under the Renewed Hope Agenda for Young Peacebuilders.
He said the programme was designed to equip more than 80 young Nigerians with conflict management, leadership and fact-checking skills to enable them to contribute to peace and national development.
According to him, young Nigerians must move beyond being beneficiaries of peacebuilding initiatives and become active participants in preventing and resolving conflicts.
He said, “So what this initiative does, basically, is to bring these over 80-plus participants, who are actually with us, for two, three months and the Coppers who are here for about eight, nine months to actually build their capacity in understanding the connection between policy, what the government is doing, and how the government is pursuing them, so they can have a better appreciation of what the government is doing, so they can be in a better, enlightening position, you know, to have a genuine, constructive conversation.”
