Yobe, UN agencies organize cultural submit for peace, unity in N’East
By Tada Juthan , Maiduguri
The Yobe State Government, in collaboration with ActionAid, World Food Programme (WFP), and the German Development Cooperation (GDC), has organized a cultural summit to promote peace and unity in Northeast.
According to the State’s Council for Arts, the summit, was to showcase the rich cultural heritages of various ethnic groups in Yobe.
Declaring the summit open, over the weekend, in Damaturu, the Executive Director, 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 in displaying other artifacts to the public.
Husna went on: “This is to tell you that no development could take place without knowing your roots and identities, including your culture and norms.”
She, therefore, commended ActionAid and the UN agencies for their support in promoting peace and unity through the various cultural activities in the state.
ActionAid Country Director, Andrew Mamedu noted that there is the need for peace and social cohesion among the various ethnic groups in the Northeast.
Mamedu, represented by Kenneth Unuafe, the Project Manager, lamented the over a decade Boko Haram insurgency that claimed many lives and property in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states.
He noted that the cultural summit has provided a platform to spread the 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 the significance of cultural heritage in sustaining peace and unity in the region.
