Stakeholders in the peacebuilding and governance sector have warned that Nigeria’s efforts at tackling insecurity and promoting national unity may continue to fail unless young people are deliberately included in peacebuilding, governance and decision-making processes.

They gave the warning in Abuja during a one-day national conference on Youth, Peace and Security organised by the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation (BBFORPEACE) in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, and the Champion of Peace Youth and Women Initiative.

The conference, themed “Bridging Policy and Practice: Multi-Stakeholder Engagement in Youth Peace and Security Frameworks Implementation,” also featured the launch of the BBFORPEACE Strategic Plan 2026–2030.

The stakeholders stressed that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without empowering young people and integrating them into governance, conflict prevention, security deci.sion-making and development initiatives.

Speaking, Executive Director of BBFORPEACE, Rafiu Adeniran Lawal, said Nigeria was currently facing multiple security and socio-economic challenges, including violent extremism, kidnappings, communal conflicts, unemployment, misinformation and shrinking civic spaces.

According to him, millions of young Nigerians are at the centre of these challenges, yet they are often excluded from meaningful participation in shaping policies and solutions.

Lawal said although youths are frequently portrayed as victims of violence or instruments of instability, many young Nigerians are actively involved in mediation, humanitarian interventions, countering hate speech and promoting peaceful coexistence across communities.

He noted that the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security represents an important opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s peacebuilding architecture.

“The National Action Plan is not merely a policy document. It is a recognition that sustainable peace in Nigeria cannot be achieved without the inclusion, participation, protection and leadership of young people.

“It is an acknowledgment that young people must not only be consulted occasionally, but systematically integrated into peacebuilding, governance, conflict prevention, security decision-making and national development processes”, he said.

Lawal, however, argued that implementation remained the biggest challenge confronting the Youth, Peace and Security agenda.

He questioned how the framework could move beyond policy discussions in Abuja to communities, local governments and campuses where many young people are directly affected by violence, poverty and exclusion.

According to him, BBFORPEACE’s newly unveiled 2026–2030 strategic plan aligns with the key pillars of the Youth, Peace and Security framework, including participation, protection, prevention, partnerships, disengagement and reintegration.

He added that empowering young people would significantly contribute to national stability, reconciliation and development.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, described youths as critical stakeholders in building sustainable peace.

Represented by Director and Chief Research Fellow at the institute, Chukwuemeka Mbah, Ochogwu said young people should no longer be seen merely as beneficiaries of peace initiatives.

“Young people are not simply beneficiaries of peace; they are leaders, innovators and change-makers whose voices must shape the future of our nation,” he said.

He stressed the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners and youth-led groups to advance peacebuilding efforts.

Delivering the keynote address, public affairs analyst and Chairman of the Partnership Against Violent Extremism, Jaye Gaskia, criticised the failure of many youth-focused policies and frameworks, blaming it on the exclusion of young people from implementation processes.

“If it is a youth peace and security framework, who should lead its implementation?” he asked.

Gaskia insisted that youth participation must go beyond symbolic representation, warning that shrinking civic spaces and weakening youth engagement platforms could undermine democratic participation and peacebuilding efforts.

“Peace is not merely the absence of conflict; it is the presence of justice, opportunity, fairness and hope,” he said.

On her part, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Dr Maryam Keshinro, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting youth inclusion in governance and national development.

Represented by Chief Youth Development Officer, Vivian Iorzua, Keshinro said young people remained critical actors in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

She noted that stronger partnerships among stakeholders would be essential to advancing the Youth, Peace and Security agenda in the country.