The Plateau Youth Council (PYC), in partnership with the Faleed School of Peace Studies (FSPS), has graduated 27 participants trained in peace and conflict resolution, with a charge on them to use the knowledge acquired to promote peaceful coexistence in their communities.
The graduation ceremony, held at EBOMI Outreach Ministries International in Jos, attracted academics, clergymen, youth leaders and other stakeholders. The scholarship-based training was designed to equip young people with practical skills in conflict management, resolution and transformation and prepare them to serve as peace ambassadors.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Plateau State Youth Council, Jos North LGA, Amb. Paul S. Mancha, said the training had equipped the 27 graduates with the knowledge and practical skills required to manage, resolve and transform conflicts in their communities.
Mancha urged the graduates to put their training into practice, saying the true value of the programme would be measured by their ability to promote peace, unity and peaceful coexistence among people in their respective communities.
He commended the Founder of EBOMI Outreach Ministries International, Prophet Isa El-Buba, for supporting the initiative and providing a platform for the training, describing his investment in youth development and peacebuilding as a valuable contribution to society.
Also speaking, President of the Faleed School of Peace Studies, Dr. Seidu Ochimana, said the institution was not only celebrating the completion of the graduates’ professional studies but also launching a new generation of peacemakers into a society that needed their skills.
Speaking on the theme, “Bridging Divides, Building Futures,” Prof. Ochimana said the graduates had been equipped with knowledge in conflict understanding, mediation, negotiation and reconciliation.
He urged them to use the knowledge and empathy acquired to bridge social, cultural and religious divides while promoting justice and understanding in society.
Ochimana charged the graduates to become agents of peace wherever they found themselves, noting that every policy, programme and conversation could provide an opportunity to build a more peaceful society.
He congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to “go out and build, go out and heal, and go out and bridge the divides.”
Certificates were subsequently presented to the graduating participants.
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Pastor Rotimi Olayinka described the ceremony as a celebration of learning, perseverance, transformation and achievement.
He said the graduates came from different backgrounds but were united by a shared desire to understand conflict and contribute to peacebuilding, declaring, “We came as students, today we leave as peace builders.”
Olayinka appreciated the management, lecturers, facilitators, families and friends for their support throughout the programme, urging his fellow graduates to apply their knowledge in their communities and professions by promoting dialogue, justice, reconciliation and human dignity.
