Nigerian, Kofi Annan Changemaker organises peace education workshops in Nigeria 

Fadekemi Ajakaiye 

Victor Okechukwu Chimezie, a young Nigerian recipient of the Kofi Annan Changemaker 2024 award, has advocated for a more peaceful, tolerant, and united Nigeria.

In two separate workshops organised by Victor at the American Corner in Calabar and Eridan Space in Lagos, respectively, in January 2025, he admonished Nigerian youths to shun violence and extremism.

The workshops, which was organised by Victor through his organisation known as Mind Reformers Network and sponsored by the Kofi Annan Foundation were tagged “Project Peace Champions.” The workshops were aimed at raising peace champions across the country and encouraging Nigerian youths to shun negative bias and violence while promoting peaceful co-existence with one another.

According to Victor, “I am an advocate of peace and education for all, particularly, the youth who make up the majority of the Nigerian population. It is important that as youth, we channel our energy towards peace, ensuring we have the right education to develop ourselves, society, and country at large.”

“We must shun violence and promote peaceful education. The Nigerian youth have got enormous responsibility and abilility to lead Nigeria and Nigerians on the path of peace and development,” he added.

In Calabar where the project peace champions workshop held the American Corner, there were more than a hundred participants alongside various speakers who pledged to be champions of peace and education in Nigeria. 

Favour Abatang, Founder of Her Voice Foundation, engaged participants in practical ways for community organisation and advocacy for peace. 

Mr. Tobi Olagbegi, ECOWAS Youth Ambassador, also spoke about leadership and peacebuilding.

One of the interactive sessions at the workshop focused on bias reduction, led by Victor. Participants used sticky notes and cardboard to analyse their biases through an experimental learning approach promoting a deeper understanding of the importance of peaceful education.

At the Lagos workshop held in Eridan Space, Ikeja, the message and feedback of allowing peace to reign in the pursuit of meaningful, qualitative and developmental education was the main focus of the hundreds of youth participants and selected speakers. 

In summary, speakers at both workshops include Dr Serge Stroobants, Director, Europe and MENA Region for the Institute for Economics and Peace, who was the Keynote Speaker; Amb. Tobi Ola, Ecowas Youth Ambassador; Favour Abatang, Executive Director, Her Voice Foundation and Grace Omoruyi Shobanke, Executive Director at Restorative Justice for Africa; 

Others were Sarah Kuponiyi, Executive Director at Alora Reusable Pads; Julius Ilori who is an Edutech Leader and President of the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria and the Board Chairman of Mind Reformers Network, Mr Euriel Momah who gave a goodwill remarks.