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IPCR Collaborates on Peace-building Game for Children, Young People
IPCR Collaborates on Peace-building Game for Children, Young People
By: Michael Mike
A game for children and young people to learn, engage, and apply peace-building tools such as dialogue, mediation, tolerance, and inclusion has commenced.
The game, Peace Creatives Competition Nigeria 2025 commenced in Abuja on Thursday as part of activities to mark the International Day of Peace and was a collaboration of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and Idimuwem Peace and Governance Initiative (IPGI).
The competition themed “Unity and Prosperity in Diversity.” was organized in Abuja in collaboration with Gender Mobile, NGYouthSDGs, BUPRI, Youth Alive Foundation, and Girls Get Equal.
Convener of the competition, Uduak-Abasi Akpabio, said the initiative provides a platform for children and young people to learn, engage, and apply peacebuilding tools such as dialogue, mediation, tolerance, and inclusion.
She said: “Peace cannot simply be wished into existence. Like swimming, reading, or any life skill, peace must be taught, nurtured, and practiced,” adding that the competition is designed to build capacity through information, skills, and practice.
She further explained that entries will not be limited by language, with participants free to express themselves in English, Pidgin, local dialects, dance, or performance. Online submissions via WhatsApp and email have also been introduced to remove barriers to access.
Now in its fourth edition, the competition has been expanded to include two categories—ages 16–20 and 21–25—and will run nationwide through IPCR’s six regional offices.
“Our first competition targeted children, where art proved the most effective medium for expression. With the help of education specialists and psychologists, we ensured materials were child-friendly and tailored to their level.
“By the second competition, we saw the importance of partnerships, moving beyond Abuja into classrooms across the states, reaching more children through collaboration with organizations at the grassroots.
“The third competition reinforced the need for diversity and inclusion, we ensured gender sensitivity and access for children with special needs.
“This year marks the fourth competition. We have refined our structure, dividing participants into two categories: ages 16–20 and 21–25.
“We are also expanding reach by partnering formally with IPCR and its six regional offices. This ensures that from local communities to state levels, young people across Nigeria can participate meaningfully,” Akpabio said.
In his welcome address, Director General of IPCR, Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, represented by Dr. Caleb Ayuba, Head of Democracy and Development Studies, said the competition underscores a commitment to young people and to the future of peace and governance in Nigeria.
He noted that violent conflicts across the country have disproportionately affected young people, both as victims and perpetrators, while unemployment, poverty, and exclusion continue to limit their opportunities.
Ochogwu said the initiative aligns with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, and supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for a peaceful, secure, and inclusive Nigeria.
He urged stakeholders to support the project, saying: “Let us encourage our youth to use their creativity, their voices, and their talent, not to fuel conflict, but to transform it; not to break down, but to build up.”
The initiative also drew commendations from international partners. Iiris Aliska of the Embassy of Finland praised the competition for promoting a culture of peace, emphasizing the principle of “relationality,” which she described as respect and kindness toward all people and communities.
The Director General of the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), Chris Ngwodo noted that while young people are often central to conflict, they are equally central to peacebuilding, describing them as “the most creative elements in any society.”
“Young people represent the reservoir of a society’s potential for transformation, innovation, peaceful revolution. All the things and all the ways in which a society can reach the fullness of its potential are involving young people.
“They are the ones that will bring things of a better present as well as a better tomorrow, and they are the ones that will chart a path to go in there. And this is why initiatives like this are hugely important. Initiatives that tap into, harness and celebrate the creative power of young people.
“Young people are the most creative elements in any society, and they are certainly the most creative elements in our own society. When you look at the size of people in our informal sector, when you look at the size of informal enterprise, and when you look at our creative sectors in this country, you will find that it is predominantly driven by young people. So I say all that to say that this initiative is a most worthy initiative,”he said.
He urged the youth to embrace their role as future heroes of the nation, saying:
“This is the moment of your heroism. This is the season of your heroism.”
Also speaking, Iiris Aliska of the Embassy of Finland lauded the initiative as a step toward nurturing a culture of peace. She emphasized the principle of “relationality,” which she defined as respect and kindness toward all people and communities.
Similarly, Hairo Dong, Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy, reaffirmed China’s commitment to working with Nigeria to advance peace and development through “pragmatic operations” and “real results.”
IPCR Collaborates on Peace-building Game for Children, Young People
Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
•••771 to Graduate in Nigeria in 2025
•••Otuaro Hails Scholars’ Performances
By: Michael Mike
Nine students awarded foreign post-graduate scholarships by the Presidential Amnesty Programme have graduated from their master’s degree rprogrammes in universities in the United Kingdom.
The successful scholars are the first graduates in the offshore post-graduate scholarship deployment to UK institutions by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024-2025 academic session.
They graduated from the Anglia Ruskin University, University of Dundee and The University of Law with master’s degrees in cyber security, data science and engineering, law, construction and civil engineering management, project management, and ICT.
Also, 711 undergraduate and post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries are expected to graduate from universities within Nigeria this year.
The PAP, on Wednesday, 3 December, 2025, organised a graduation reception for the scholars in London.
Otuaro has congratulated them on their successful graduation, stressing that they completed their programmes in record time which shows the seriousness they had put into their studies.
He said they have justified the Federal Government’s investment in their education with their successful graduation, and urged other beneficiaries not to be distracted in their academic pursuits.
“We congratulate these scholars on their successful graduation. It shows that they took their studies seriously. That is what we demand of every scholarship beneficiary, whether at the undergraduate or post-graduate level”, Otuaro said.
He reiterated his unwavering commitment to expanding the scholarship scheme to create more opportunities for indigent students of Niger Delta extraction to access higher education with a view to closing the human capital development gap in the region.
Otuaro said it was for this reason he deployed 3800 beneficiaries in-country in the 2024-2025 academic year, and increased the figure to 3900 in the 2025-2026 academic session with 200 for foreign scholarships.
Otuaro has so far deployed 7700 students for the PAP scholarship scheme within Nigeria in less than two years.
Within this period, also, he has also deployed 162 students from the region for post-graduate programmes in targeted disciplines in the UK universities.
According to him, this is in conformity with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu for the Niger Delta, who has given unprecedented support to the PAP because of his sincere love for the area.
The PAP boss said, “Our decision aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the Niger Delta. We will continue to create more higher educational opportunities for students from indigent backgrounds in our region.
“We are also deepening the implementation of the programme’s mandate in informal education and other areas for the sustainable peace and socio-economic advancement of the region.”
Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited Established for Realization of Ondo Project
By: Michael Mike
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited has been incorporated to seamlessly allowed for the Refinery and Free Trade Zone in Ondo State.
A press statement on Thursday read that: “In furtherance of our commitment to the execution of these two major projects – Refinery and Free Trade Zone in conjunction with the Ondo State Government, the joint partners have taken another giant step by incorporating a joint company, namely – SUNSHINE JOINT VENTURE INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED – as the vehicle to be used in executing these projects. A move that further reinforces the sincerity of purpose and total commitment of the funding partners to move ahead together as a united front.
According to the release by Wale Adekola on behalf of the JV, the Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limitedwill, going forward serve as the vehicle to work with the Ondo State Government through the Ondo State Investment Promotion Agency (ONDIPA) in the implementation of the executed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
The statement added that: “In moving the projects forward for implementation, the JV team met in Dubai to finalize the funding modalities and put in place structures and plans for the commencement of activities for ground breaking and community engagements. These initial activities are aimed at complementing the 50th Anniversary of the creation of Ondo State and the one year anniversary of the election of the Executive Governor of the Sunshine State, His Excellency, Chief Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa CFR.
At the Dubai meeting were key officers of the JV Company, including: Messrs SALEHI FARHAD; ZAHERI NAVID; EGHBAL KORDJAMSHIDI; SAHEED ZAHERI; DR. STEPHEN DIKE; HENRY OWONKA AND MRS. NAMVAR MARYAM.
The statement further informed that, plans have been concluded to mobilize the relevant contractors working with the locals and host communities to put up structures that will host the information center, architectural models to showcase the projects on offer and facilities that will serve the team. All these are being planned with ONDIPA to execute the relocation and accommodation of the host communities that are likely to be affected by the projects and create a seamless transition that will engender peaceful co-existence and harmonious relationship with our host communities.
The JV company further reiterated its commitment to work with Ondo State Government (through ONDIPA) to change the infrastructural landscape of the Sunshine State and for mutual benefits.
Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited Established for Realization of Ondo Project
Edo: Seven suspected bandits arrested along Benin-Agbor Road
By: Zagazola Makama
Seven suspected bandits were arrested along the Benin–Agbor Road in Edo State during stop-and-search operations, security sources confirmed.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspects, all Fulani youths, were intercepted after being offloaded from a truck at about 1800 hours on 2 December 2025. A search revealed pictures of assault rifles, including AK-47s, on their mobile phones.
Upon interrogation, the suspects claimed to have travelled from Adamawa State. Investigations are ongoing for the possible recovery of actual firearms and to determine their involvement in criminal activities.
Security agencies have urged members of the public to report any suspicious movements to help prevent criminal acts in the area.
Edo: Seven suspected bandits arrested along Benin-Agbor Road
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Nine PAP Foreign Scholarship Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities
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