The Words of the Oko Family
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The Words of the Oko Family |
“Without peace, development will be elusive. For this to be achieved, youths have a critical role to play,” declared President Mohammed Ibn Chambers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a pan-African youth conference in Abuja, Nigeria. “The world is looking up to you to contribute to change the present status quo and provide the world with a new order.”
Convening on June 2-5 in commemoration of the 2009 African Liberation Day, the Africa Youth Leaders Peace Summit brought together a diverse group of young peace builders, policy makers, experts, media professionals, researchers and service providers, as well as government institutions, civil society organizations, corporate bodies, and faith-based organizations from across Africa. The summit was held at the conference hall of the ECOWAS on the theme, “The Achievement and Sustenance of Peace Building, Millennium Development Goals and Regional Integration of Africa: The Role of Youths.”
The event was organized by the Youth Federation for World Peace-Nigeria and Youth Service Africa, in collaboration with Service for Peace, Teachers Without Borders, Fresh and Young Brains Development Initiative, Stop Cancer Foundation, Watchman International Network, Peace Corps of Nigeria and the International Youth Peace Tourism and Development Initiative. The summit gained the enthusiastic support of the hosting ECOWAS, as well as the United Bank for Africa, Delta State Government, Unity Bank Plc, among others. Media partners such as African Independent Television, Nigerian Television Authority, Independent Television, Leadership Newspaper, and several others gave the summit extensive coverage for days.
Participants from across Africa were warmly received by a Nigerian cultural troupe on arrival in the Federal Capital Territory, offering delegates a first-hand experience of the culture of Nigeria, “Good People, Great Nation.”
The summit included a mix of plenary sessions, addresses, keynote lectures, paper presentations, capacity building sessions, networking meetings and reflections. With over 30 speakers and session chairpersons featured, the program provided ample opportunities for participants to gain knowledge and share experiences, as well as network with other change agents across Africa.
“As you put your heads together to share experiences and learn from each other, you should project into the future and come out with recommendations [that will encourage] development partners and civil society organizations to provide the needed support to the development and empowerment of youths,” said the Chief Host, ECOWAS President Chambers, who was represented at the opening plenary by Dr. Adrienne Diop, ECOWAS’ Commissioner for Human Development and Gender. “The Achievement of Peace is an important pillar in the quest for development, progress and the achievement of the MDGs in Africa"
The opening plenary chair, Senator Kanu Agabi, who has held several key positions in the Nigerian government including former Attorney-General and former Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Good Governance, commending the organizers of the summit, noting, “As we celebrate our freedom, this is the time to examine our present condition and ask ourselves a few pertinent questions: Are we really free? Can we say that we are truly free when all over the continent a vast majority of our people have no say in the election of their leaders?
“Have we been able to rid ourselves of every vestige of dictatorship arising from military rule?” Agabi asked the assembled young leaders. “Can we say that we are free when a vast majority of our people live in abject poverty and have no hope? The development of our continent is our responsibility.
“I have a pledge for you. I call upon every African youth here to say after me: ‘I am an African for whom the time has come, to stand up and be somebody. To embrace truth and peace. And to avail myself of all my talents, in the service of my continent and humanity through self-reliance and sacrifice. So help me God!'"
With these words he declared the summit opened.
The keynote lecture, “Character Development as the Foundation for the Achievement and Sustenance of Peace Building: Millennium Development Goals and Regional Integration,” was delivered by John Ipuole Oko, the former president of Youth Federation for World Peace (Nigeria Chapter) and Coordinator of Youth Service Africa.
Oko noted that every individual requires two dimensions of education -- education for character and education for career -- in order to pursue the two dimensions of value. Further, he argued, quoting the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who said that “Character is Destiny,” priority must be given to education for character.
Oko identified the three moral goals of education: maturity of character; capacity for genuine loving relationships (especially within the family); and contribution to society. Home, school and community, he said, are supposed to work in partnership to raise a balanced, educated person.
“If we are to achieve and sustain peace, MDGs, and the integration of our continent,” Oko said, “the surest way is for us to become people of mature character who practice the principle of living for the sake of others. I hereby challenge us all to become people of mature character who can establish loving families and contribute to society. Especially as young people, I challenge us to be people who can control our sexual desires as a demonstration of maturity of character and a commitment to live for the sake of others.”
In a poignant moment, Oko read from a letter of a headmaster to his teachers:
I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness: gas chambers built by learned engineers, children poisoned by learned physicians, infants killed by trained nurses, women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates. So I am suspicious of education. My request is: Help your students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more human.
Concluding, Oko quoted the ancient Chinese sage Confucius:
When there is Righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. When there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
On June 3 the summit continued with a tribute to late Dr. Tajudeen, a Pan-Africanist who died in an auto crash in Kenya in May 2009. Adams Peter Eloyi, spokesperson for SpeakAfrica Project spoke on the African Youth Charter and the Decade of the African Youth, while Stephen Oguntoyinbo from Generations for Peace highlighted the importance of sports as a universal language and hope for this generation.
Rev. John Joseph Hayab, Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter, later discussed the important role of religion in promoting peace in the society. Dr. A. A. Roberts discussed opportunities in the international system for Africans and Africans in the Diaspora for achieving sustainable peace building, MDGs, and regional integration. Finally Sen. Agabi addressed the issue of ethics and morality as foundations for leadership.
On June 4, Dr. Mathias J. Eka JP, National President, Niger Delta Peace Movement introduced a special session on tourism and the environment, which looked at the Niger River and Delta as an environmental resource to be preserved, but also as a resource for tourism and sustainable development. Later sessions examined youth involvement in peace building and the challenges of African integration.
On June 5, in commemoration of the World Environment Day, presenters educated participants on community development and environment-related service projects. Barrister Nkiruka Nnaemego, CEO / Founder of Fresh and Young Brains Development Initiative, made a special presentation on the Service Project done in commemoration of the 2009 Global Youth Service Day Celebration at the Abuja Children’s Home. She also gave an update of upcoming youth events in Nigeria and encouraged participants to involve themselves in service projects in their local communities.
In his closing keynote presentation, former YFWP President Oko reiterated the importance of character development as a foundation for the achievement and sustenance of peace building, MDGs, and regional integration of Africa. He advocated a total overhaul of the educational sector saying,
“As we know, during commencement ceremonies, graduates are said to have been ‘found worthy’ in ‘character’ and in ‘learning.’ Meanwhile, some of the graduates were involved in examination malpractices, secret cultism, prostitution, and other social vices. Can we say that these are people found ‘worthy in character?’ In fact, throughout their entire schooling years, how many courses did they take on character development?
Young Ambassadors for Peace Pledge Continued Efforts Some of Africa's most distinguished young leaders accept the commission as peace makers. Read More “We must review our educational curriculum and ensure that character education becomes an integral part of it. our organization now has wonderful materials well developed that can be used irrespective of our national, religious and other affiliations.”
Looking ahead
During the closing ceremony, the Honorable Minister of State for Education of Nigeria, Hajiya Aishatu Jibril Dukku was invited to declare the summit closed. Minister Dukku, who had keenly listened to the lecture on character education and peace building, was so impressed that she promised to collaborate with the organizers in the nearest future to organize programs that will positively impact the educational sector of the country.
Drawing a continent-wide body of delegates, the Africa Youth Leaders Peace Summit affirmed that issues of education, environmental sustainability, economic growth, and effective regional cooperation need innovative proposals that engage the continent's next-generation leadership. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the eighth most populous country in the world. Its problems, as well as its opportunities, are reflected in many developing countries. This summit of young leaders affirmed that Africans themselves are equipped to respond to the continent's challenges and that the vision and energy of its youth are perhaps the region's greatest resource.
This report was submitted by the Youth Federation for World Peace-Nigeria.