By Francis Sadhere
The Morgan Smart Development Foundation achieved one of its sets objectives when it sponsored the inauguration of a Youths for Peace Network called M-YPN in Warri,Delta State. Morgan Smart Development Foundation (MSDF), a non-governmental organisation is dedicated to the empowerment of rural and urban poor women and youths in Nigeria for poverty reduction, employment generation and sustainable socio-economic development in Nigeria.
The ceremony which took place at the Morgan Smart Women and Youth Resource Centre.
THE YOUTHS for PEACE NETWORK (M-YPN) is a Youth Organisation comprising selected young men and women from some communities in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, who are to act as “peace ambassadors” in their communities, preaching and advocating the need for peace building and non-violent approach to conflict resolution.
Their activities which will be self driven, with support from the Morgan Smart development foundation, will constantly monitor activities in their communities to identify potential violent situations and serve as whistle blowers to help nip in the bud, potential crisis situations before they escalates to full blown violence in their communities. This they will do by contacting the authorities at the local government level.
The Inauguration ceremony had in attendance the Chairman Warri South Local Government Council Mr Austin Uroye, the Manager Peace4Peace PIND Foundation Mr Collins Imoh , the Director Ideal Women Advancement Initiatives Mrs. Bridget Affiah amongst other dignitaries present at the ceremony.
In his key note address, Mr. Collins Imoh, Manager P4P, Pind Foundation, addressed the need to change the Niger delta legacy of conflict and non-violence, by adopting a non-violent approach to conflict resolution, peace building objectives and principles.
He also emphasized the necessity for a change in orientation before the potentially violent situation in the Niger delta during the 2015 elections and the end of the amnesty program in the Region. He used a visual presentation to depict how various crisis situations are inadventedly engineered, and how they could be resolved without resorting to violent.
In her welcome speech the President /CEO of Morgan Smart Development Foundation, Dr Omawumi Urhobo narrated her own personal experience during the crisis that consumed Warri in early 2002/2003 and advised that build bridges across our differences in the area, guarantees a legacy of non-violence for the future generation of the People.
She said violence arises most of the time from communication breakdown, and that there was the need to think before we act by working hard to identify the causes and reasons for conflicts and making efforts to resolve them without necessarily resorting to violence.
Dr Urhobo highlighted the benefits of membership of the youths Network M-YPN to includes training in peace and conflict resolution with knowledge to be acquired on all necessary peace building tools that can be used to engender the peace process, additional skill acquisition/training opportunities for members, having the platform for the youths to contribute to national discuss on youth policies and development, access to the MSDF library, access to micro loans and computer trainings amongst others.
To kick start the opportunities opened to members of the Network, one youth from each community constituting the M-YPN was to nominate two (2) member each to undergo a 2 (two) weeks computer appreciation training to be provided free at the ICT unit of the Resource Centre.
The high point of the ceremony was the taking of the oath of allegiance by members of the peace network to the ideals of the Network, and the presentation of the “Peace Ambassador” certificates to the members.
The Youths in their response at the occasion unanimously thanked the Morgan Smart Foundation for sponsoring the initiative. They expressed their joy at been part of the M-YPN and promised to go back to their communities to commence advocating for peace and non-violence in their communities.
