The Katsina State Government has commended Mercy Corps for empowering communities to prevent and respond to violence and violence extremism in the state.

The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Aliyu Lawal Zakari, gave the commendation at an event to mark the 2024 International Youth Day in Katsina.

With the theme: ‘The Role of Youths in Promoting Safer and Peaceful Communities’, this year’s International Youth Day was organised by Mercy Corps in collaboration with the state government with support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

Under its Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation in North-west Nigeria (CMCR-NW), the project funded by the European Union (EU), Mercy Corps and partners have been promoting peace in Kankara, Danmusa, Batsari and Jibia Local Governments of the state.

Zakari said the non-governmental organisation has empowered vulnerable communities in the state to prevent violence and violence extremism for peace and development to thrive in the state.

Represented by the Director, Youth Development, Sani Yahaya, Zakari said Mercy Corps and the state government were long time partners in promoting peace and tranquillity in the state.

He said: “We thanked Mercy Corps for their kind gesture and usual commitments in empowering our communities to prevent and respond to the violence and violence extremism in Katsina State.”

He charged the Nigerian youths to strive to contribute their quota to the national development and shun acts inimical to the development of the country.

In his remarks, the Senior Programme Manager of Mercy Corps, Philip Ikita, advocated peacebuilding and conflict resolution amongst youths in the state.

He said youths should engage in meaningful contributions towards peace and harmony in their respective communities across the state, as they are future leaders.

The programme manager further said that peaceful living among the youths can lead to various developments across the state and also in their communities.

According to him, “The role of the youth is to promote a safer and peaceful community as the society is full of criminal activities of which most of them are also youths.”

Culled from ThisDay