Yobe, UN agencies hold cultural summit for peace, unity in Northeast

The Yobe State Government, in collaboration with ActionAid, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the German Development Cooperation (GDC), has organised a cultural summit to promote peace and unity in the Northeast.

According to the state’s Council for Arts, the summit aimed to showcase the rich cultural heritage of various ethnic groups in Yobe.

Declaring the summit open yesterday in Damaturu, the Executive Director of the Yobe State Council for Arts and Culture, Hajiya Husna Ibrahim, disclosed: “Today’s event was to showcase the importance of cultural heritage in the development of our society in the state,” adding that it enables the state to display other artifacts to the public.

Husna added: “This is to tell you that no development could take place without knowing your roots and identities, including your culture and norms.”

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She commended ActionAid and the UN agencies for their support in promoting peace and unity through various cultural activities in the state.

ActionAid Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, noted the need for peace and social cohesion among the various ethnic groups in the Northeast.

Mamedu, represented by Kenneth Unuafe, the Project Manager, lamented over a decade of Boko Haram insurgency, which has claimed many lives and properties in Yobe, Adamawa, and Borno states.

He noted that the cultural summit has provided a platform to spread messages of peace with shared cultural heritage.

Governor Mai Mala Buni, represented by the Special Assistant on Security Matters, Brig-Gen. Dahiru Abdulsalam, reiterated the significance of cultural heritage in sustaining peace and unity in the region.