PressPayNG has trained over 200 Nigerian students in peace and nation building through the Peace Study Forum 2026, a programme supported by UNESCO under its Intercultural Leadership Programme. The forum, organised by PressPayNG, focused on positioning young Nigerians as active contributors to national peace rather than passive observers. Abiola Metilelu, founder and CEO of PressPayNG, described the initiative as an intervention in narrative formation, stating that Nigeria's core challenge is not just policy but perception.
Metilelu emphasized that unmanaged perception leads to conflict and that the forum targeted the root of societal divisions by reshaping how young people engage with national identity. He called the gathering "infrastructure," describing it as soft but essential for long-term stability. Participants were trained in dialogue facilitation, peer influence, conflict management, and narrative responsibility.
Petra Akinti Onyegbule, Head of Government Strategic Partnerships and a keynote speaker, said Nigeria's divisions are not only structural but psychological, rooted in an "us versus them" mindset that weakens national unity. She argued that peace is not merely moral but a strategic necessity, noting that economies cannot grow in instability and investments do not thrive in uncertainty. According to Onyegbule, equipping youth with tools to manage diversity makes downstream interventions in agriculture, SME financing, and digital inclusion more effective.
The Minister for Youth Development, represented by his Special Assistant on Gender Matters, affirmed the government's recognition of youth-led peacebuilding as part of the national youth development agenda. Onyegbule praised Metilelu's vision as transformational rather than transactional, highlighting the sustainability of platforms that outlive single events.
Abiola Metilelu frames narrative shaping as critical infrastructure, yet the same narratives in mainstream media and politics remain unchanged. If perception drives conflict, then the continued dominance of divisive rhetoric by public figures undermines the very peacebuilding work he champions. The 200 trained students represent a fraction of Nigeria's youth population exposed daily to incendiary content from leaders not held to the same standard. Training youth to manage narratives means little if those with national platforms operate without narrative responsibility.
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