Leadership experts and stakeholders from different backgrounds have called on the government at all levels to prioritise the empowerment of Nigerian youth to build lasting peace and security across the country.

The stakeholders made the calls at the 14th edition of the annual Peace Achievers International Conference and Awards on Saturday in Abuja.

According to the stakeholders, Nigeria needs to productively engage its teeming youths to effectively curb the challenges of insecurity and its perennial sectional conflicts.

Kingsley Amafibe, the project coordinator of Peace Ambassador Agency and the conference organiser,  said there was an urgent need to create economic opportunities for Nigerian youth to get them occupied.

Mr Amafibe urged Nigerian youths to take responsibility for themselves and build the future of their dreams through hard work and discipline. According to him, the failure of successive governments to build a better society should not be an excuse for youths to remain unproductive.

The project coordinator added that Nigerians and Africans of goodwill who have used their resources to affect society positively would be honoured at the award ceremony.

Felix Achibiri, who made a presentation on peace-building and through sectoral partnership, said youth economic empowerment was a catalyst for sustainable peace.

He, however, noted that the government alone cannot create jobs, adding that there was a need for private organisations to take youth empowerment as part of their corporate social responsibility.

Michael Bartlett-Vanderpuye, the president of M&C Group Global, said there was a need for African youths to challenge themselves and take their future into their own hands.

Victor Enebeli, the director of studies at the Justice Mary Odili Judicial Institute, said Nigeria’s leadership challenges were local and, therefore, needed workable solutions that were unique to them.

(NAN)