By Olukayode Idowu
The Director General of Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu has called on Nigerians to inculcate the virtue of tolerance, stating that the major driver of racism, xenophobia, aggressive nationalism, anti-semitism, terrorism, ethno-religious violence, and youth restiveness is intolerance
Speaking at the Occasion of the 2024 International Day for Tolerance organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at the UN House in Abuja on Tuesday, Ochogwu said the theme of this year’s International Day for Tolerance, which is “Cultivating a Culture of Tolerance for Peace Against All Forms of Discrimination Among Nigerian Youth”. is apt and timely, given the alarming rise in racism, xenophobia, aggressive nationalism, anti-semitism, terrorism, ethno-religious violence, and youth restiveness in nations across the world.
He noted that: “The major driving force behind these phenomona is intolerance – an act of resistance to respect, accept and appreciate the rich diversity of our world’s culture, our forms of expression and ways of being human.”
Ochogwu decried that Nigeria has not fully benefited from its rich diversity due to the inability of many of its citizens to embrace individuals’ cultures, religions, and socio-economic background, insisting that: “This situation has, over time, hampered the achievement of durable peace, security, stability and progress in our dear nation.
“Additionally, the nation has witnessed an unprecedented increase in social exclusion, inequality, marginalization, and discrimination particularly due to the unpatriotic activities of corrupt politicians. This development has fostered enmity, hatred, discord, disunity and violent confrontations in communities across board.”
He added that: “Indeed, this ugly trend remains a serious concern for future generation and this concern is further heightened by the voluntary and/or coercion of youth and minors into violent extremism, thereby systematically destroying the core values of today’s generation.
“Furthermore, our country’s young people have continued to face discrimination in terms of job opportunities, political exclusion, stigmatization on health grounds, ill-treatment of persons with disabilities and harmful traditional practices. For instance, a significant number of girls and young women have been forcefully married without their consent most especially in Northern Nigeria. The deeper implications of this act of prejudice and gender intolerance include depression, reproductive and mental health issues, poverty, disruption of education, high rates of divorce and drug abuse.
“Moreover, young people have played strategic roles in the spread of falsehood, hate speech and intolerance via social media platforms, exacerbating tensions, provoking political mistrust, fostering polarization among Nigerians, and undermining human respect, safety and dignity across our dear country, Nigeria. With this development, achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals would be a mirage.”
He noted that there is an urgent need to expedite action in combating this ugly trend and in particular to create awareness as well as engage in robust discussions towards liberating our nation – Nigeria and the World from intolerance and discrimination for global peace and prosperity.
He said: “Specifically, our goals in this year’s International Day for Tolerance Commemoration include: Improving youth understanding of how to safeguard and respect cultural diversity as an essential element in promoting a culture of tolerance for peace; Increasing Media and Information Literacy (MIL) among youths, and skills against online vices such as hate speech, cyberbullying, and the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation; Enhancing youth awareness and understanding of tolerance in line with the UNGA Resolution 51/95; and Promoting non-violence behavior and global citizenship among youth, as well as skills for intergroup dialogue and mutual respect, with a specific focus on gender-based violence and the rights of individuals with disabilities.”
On his part, the Head of Abuja Office and UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Abdourahamane Diallo, said UNESCO was aware of the peculiar forms of discrimination that exist in Nigeria today.
He said: “Discriminations that are anchored on negative interpretations of our diversities, religion, race, ethnic and political affiliations. These negative tendencies are demonstrated through various means of our interpersonal, intercultural, interreligious and other social relationships, and recently more pronounced in our interactions on various online spaces.”
He noted that: “Whereas these challenges question the efforts in building tolerance within these past years, we are not deterred. It is rather for us, a call that we are required to improve our recipe, return to the kitchen and dish out new meals that can produce better results at tolerance. Because we are unwavering in our commitment to support member states to live together in a shared heritage as humanities.”
He said: “Inspired by this global model and aware of Nigeria’s unique realities—where ethnic, economic, political, religious, and ability disparities are sometimes manipulated to foster discrimination—we are replicating this initiative with support of our partners to equip young Nigerians with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate and foster tolerance in our diverse society, also, literacy skills to function as change agents against online vices like cyber bullying and proliferations of false and disinformation.”
