By Blessing Bature-Akpakpan, Abuja

As Nigeria marks her 61st Independence day, a new group, Global Alliance for Peace and Unity(GAYPU) has called on all Nigerian youths to shield their swords and desist from all forms of violence, hate speech and utterances capable of disintegrating the country.

National President, of the organisation, Hon Solomon Pevkyaa, made the call in a communique issued Thursday in Abuja at the end of the maiden national delegates conference , which also coincided with Nigeria’s Independence day.

Nevertheless, he said there was the need for Nigerian youths to encourage each other and forge ahead for a better future.

“As patriotic  Nigerian youths, there’s  need to look inward, appreciate our potentials, embrace peace and unity, come together and and see how we can channel our energy, talents and experiences towards advancing the Nigeria’s development agenda and shun separatism, our unity is our strength”, he stated. He said that Global Alliance for Peace and Unity will continue to join hands with other groups and individuals to promote peace and unity of the country. In this direction, the conference resolved to hold a national peace talk/walk to sensitize Nigerians on the need for peaceful co-existence and tolerance.

“We are to work out strategies for empowerment of members, we constituted various administrative organs and also elected officers to manage the affairs of the organization,” he stated.

While  commending  delegates for their sacrifice to have attended the maiden meeting of the group, he charged members to workout strategies on how to support the organization towards attainment of its goals and objectives and commended the public for keeping Faith with the agenda of  Nigeria just as he called on every Nigerian youth to take peace promotion as a personal agenda.

“Peace is not neegotiable and without peace we can not do anything and progress will be out of the system but with peace development thrives,  that’s why we called on all stakeholders to ensure we speak in unity to ensure there’s unity in the country and there will be rapid development and this cut across all spheres of the country, both the young and the old,” the President explained.

 He said the 61st independence day should give the youths an opportunity for global reflection, adding the people in government at all levels people should learn to fulfill campaign promises.

“When you have every thing working for the people, the people won’t be fighting nor kidnapping” he contended and called on the authorities in the government to look inward, celebrate with the people and know what they want.

In his speech,   the South South Deputy President, GAYPU, Engr Beneth Enode said the meeting was an opportunity to discuss salient issues concerning the Alliance’s global youth for Peace primarily as the name goes to promote peace and unity in the country. 
While speaking on the Nigeria’s independence, he said some persons who says there’s was nothing to celebrate were wrong.

“I will let them know that when there’s life, there’s hope and for the fact that you’re alive  today calls for celebration and when you celebrate that life, every other thing falls in place because when you have life, opportunities will always come up and one thing that will bring out this is peace and unity.
“We urged the government of Nigeria to carry the youth along because you can not negate the youths, so government should find out how they can encompass and envelope the youths in the spaces of politics and governance and when that is done, I can tell you that the problem is 50% solved,” he stressed.

National Secretary of the organisation, Dr Nelson Ndemudia in his speech said for the unity of the country to thrive there were three key factors including promoting peace; Interfaces, social inclusion across board and cultural pluralism.

“Government must be ready to ensure to ensure that the unreached communities are reached,  they should ensure rural dwellers are empowered across the country. 

“And for the youth, its not about whether the government has done well, but its for you to create a safe place for yourself and for your unborn children and live a legacy that your children will be proud of,” he advised.

In a keynote address, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, DAILY ASSET Dr Cletus Akwaya commended the group for their wonderful initiative in a country where there were a lot of challenges ranging from insecurity, economic difficulties, lack of infrastructure and all manner of things threatening the nation’s corporate existence.

“It is not easy to whether the Storm to assemble in a nation’s capital like this, often times we do not know the value of what we can do to impact, so many of us have the skills, training and ability but we are not putting to use, we allow it to lay waste that’s why I commend the President for waking us from our slumber to say the time has come for us to rise and stand for the nation, to better contribute for the progress and development of the country.

“The youths are said to be the leaders of tomorrow but the tomorrow is here with us and it is in our hands therefore, we can not wait for any other tomorrow for tomorrow is here already, so let’s rise and take charge, let’s rise and take responsibility and control our destiny, because what we do today determines our tomorrow, Akwaya advised.
The former Commissioner of Information in Benue state observed that “when youth gather, their mindsets is politics rightly or wrongly, especially the partisan political arena, which is seen as the only area where they can make it fast, it might be right or wrong but should that be the only direction the youths can go, I think the answer is no,” he stated.

According to the Publisher, “there’s quite  a lot we can do on the social plane, cultural, creative, science and technological planes, economic sector and so many other endeavours we can put together our energy and push the nation forward.”

He appealed to delegates at the conference to chart a new course for the country by taking interest in those to be elected into political offices like Councillors, Local Government chairmen, governor up to national level because with wrong leadership, they may not be able to do much.

He urged the organisation to also accord priority to economic empowerment of members so as to grant them the needed independence to act with their conscience in all situations.