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The Women Peace Mentors Network, Gombe State, has called on stakeholders to prioritise the place of women and girls in maintaining the peace in the state, the region, and the country at large.
Arewa PUNCH reports that State Lead Mentor, Hajiya Halima Mahdi, made the call during a four-day tour that took her across the Government Girls Science Secondary School, Cham; the Government Girls Secondary School, Kaltungo; the Government Girls Secondary School, Kuri; and the Community Day Secondary School, Doho.
The visit, which was to commemorate the September 21 International Day of Peace, was organised by the UN Women, Norwegian Embassy, and CLEEN Foundation.
It was geared towards sensitising secondary school communities, especially the Peace Club members, on the importance of peace.
During all her outings, Mahdi emphasised that, “Without peace, education, development will be difficult to attain. There is one important thing we must talk about, and that is opportunity. I got the opportunity to go to school, supposing we were not given the opportunity. How can we aspire? Whereas there are so many girls looking for the opportunity to go to school, they don’t have it.
“It’s either their parents are not supporting them, or they are not educated to know the importance of education,” she noted.
Similarly, Mrs Sarah Yapwa, who is also a state mentor, encouraged the club members to cultivate the virtues of peace and peaceful coexistence.
Yapwa, while further emphasising the theme of the 2024 International Day of Peace, ‘Cultivating a culture of peace’, insisted that “we must consistently make efforts to maintain the peace wherever we find ourselves.”
On his part, Nnamdi Odo, the Programme Officer of CLEEN Foundation, insisted that peace should be promoted because of its far-reaching effect on societal growth.
He said, “We want peace to continue in our schools and in our communities. Peace, according to some scholars, is the absence of war. Peace is the absence of war or conflict. For us, we define peace as a harmonious space whereby both your environment, at home, and within your community are calm. There may not be war in Kaltungo, but you may not have peace internally, and that means you can’t have joy.”
Welcoming the delegation at GGSS Kuri, the principal, Halima Hinna, assured that the club would be supported by the school towards achieving its targeted results.
Also, at the GGSS Kaltungo, the Principal, Hajiya Fati Ishaku, while lauding the mentors and the partners for choosing her school for the sensitisation programme, added, “We appreciate the peace mentors for considering this school. They usually distribute pads to our students, and we appreciate the opportunity.”
The Coordinator of the Peace Club, GGSS Kaltungo, Erica Victor, equally promised the mentors of continued efforts in supporting the members of the club to become ambassadors in the school, the community and state.
