By Emmanuel Addeh
Rotary Club at Gwarimpa, Abuja, at the weekend took its peace-building efforts to secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in a bid to sensitise young people on the need to embrace peace irrespective of their ethnic or religious differences.
The event tagged: ‘Rotary Joint Youth Peace Summi’, which took the international humanitarian organisation to Gwarinpa Estate Junior Secondary School, was jointly organised by the Rotary Club of Gwarinpa Abuja and the Rotary Club of Gwarinpa Newage.
The body stated that the event was in line with one of the Rotary International’s areas of focus, which it said is peace-building and conflict resolution, with the sub-theme: ‘Catching Them Young’.
It stated that the summit was aimed at inculcating good morals as well as to highlight the importance of peace and harmonious living in the future leaders represented by the young people.
During the event, which also witnessed the presence of teachers and management of the school, the group also made presentations to the students, including granting scholarship to a few students in JSS3 for their term and examination fees through the President, Constance Okeke.
Speaking during the ceremony, the Assistant Governor/Assistant Zonal Coordinator, D915, Mrs. Olajumoke Ekeinde, urged the young people to be purveyors of peace wherever they find themselves.
“You’re supposed to react in a positive way. You are our peace ambassadors and you’re supposed to take the lesson back to your schools, houses, churches and mosques and everywhere you go because we want to empower our young people,” she stated.
Ekeinde noted that Rotary International takes the issue of peace-building very seriously, which is one of the seven core areas it focuses on as well as conflict prevention.
In her comment, the Principal of the school, Zainab Hassan, noted that although the peace of the country is currently “being tampered with,” young people must make conscious efforts to be responsible at all times.
