Youth leaders drawn from communities across Jos North Local Government Area have commenced a six to eight-week peace and conflict resolution training aimed at strengthening peacebuilding and leadership skills among young people.
The scholarship programme is organised by the Jos North Plateau Youth Council in partnership with the Falead School of Peace Studies (FSPS), with support from EBOMI Outreach Ministries International, to equip participants with practical conflict management skills and prepare them to serve as peace ambassadors in their communities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Plateau State Youth Council, Jos North LGA, Amb. Paul S. Mancha, said the initiative was designed to equip youths with practical knowledge in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
According to him, “Conflict is inevitable in every society, but with the right knowledge and skills, it can be managed peacefully.”
Mancha said the scholarship-based programme was intended to raise a new generation of peace ambassadors who would promote peaceful coexistence and strengthen unity across Plateau State.
He urged participants to remain committed throughout the six to eight-week training, expressing confidence that the knowledge acquired would positively impact their families, communities and the state.
Presenting an overview of the programme, President of the Falead School of Peace Studies, Dr. Seidu Ochimana, described the training as a professional peacebuilding course focused on conflict management, conflict resolution and conflict transformation.
He said participants would be assessed throughout the programme, stressing that discipline, attendance and active participation were prerequisites for earning the professional certificate.
“We are not here to give you money; we want to give you value and skills that will make you agents of peace and positive change in society,” Ochimana said.
Declaring the training open, Founder of EBOMI, Prophet Isa El-Buba, challenged participants to take the programme seriously and ensure the knowledge gained translated into practical solutions for their communities.
“It should not end with certificates. What matters is what you do with what you learn. Become solution providers and intentional leaders who will add value to society,” he said.
El-Buba also urged the youths to take responsibility for the security and development of their communities, noting that lasting change would come when citizens deliberately contributed their quota instead of waiting solely on government.
Some participants described the training as timely and pledged to apply the knowledge gained to promote peaceful coexistence and prevent conflicts in their respective communities.
One of the participants, Sagir Idris, Youth Leader of Bauchi Ring Road, said he enrolled in the programme to acquire peacebuilding skills that would enable him to educate young people in his community on peaceful coexistence.
Similarly, Paul Dimlong, Assistant Youth Leader of Lanyengre Community, Kabong, said the training would strengthen his capacity to educate youths on resolving disputes before they degenerated into violence, adding that the knowledge would contribute to lasting peace in Jos North.
