The North Central Zonal Office of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons has strengthened its collaboration with youth organisations through a sensitisation and advocacy meeting with the leadership of the Northern Youths Consultative Council of Nigeria (NYCCN) in Minna, Niger State….
The North Central Zonal Office of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons has strengthened its collaboration with youth organisations through a sensitisation and advocacy meeting with the leadership of the Northern Youths Consultative Council of Nigeria (NYCCN) in Minna, Niger State.
The engagement was led by the North Central Zonal Director of the Centre, Abdul Adamu Eneche, who underscored the vital role of youth organisations in tackling the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons and promoting sustainable peace across Northern Nigeria.
Eneche highlighted the Centre’s mandate of coordinating national efforts to regulate and control illicit arms, identifying porous borders, illegal local arms production and the activities of criminal elements as major drivers of arms proliferation.
He stressed that addressing the challenge requires a whole-of-society approach involving government institutions, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and youth groups.
The zonal director also outlined the Centre’s ongoing initiatives, including public sensitisation campaigns, stakeholder engagement, intelligence-driven operations, inter-agency collaboration and the destruction of recovered illicit weapons in line with international best practices.
He urged the Northern Youths Consultative Council of Nigeria to leverage its network across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory to educate young people on the dangers of illicit arms and support the Centre’s peacebuilding efforts.
Responding, the President of the Northern Youths Consultative Council of Nigeria, Abdullahi Bilal Waziri, commended the NCCSALW for its sustained efforts to curb the proliferation of illicit arms.
Waziri reaffirmed the council’s commitment to partnering with the Centre to promote youth engagement, public awareness and community participation in advancing national peace and security.
In recognition of his contributions to national security, peacebuilding and youth development, the NYCCN conferred the Sir Ahmadu Bello Platinum Award on Dr Eneche.
He was also honoured with the traditional title of “Garkuwan Matasan Arewa” (Shield of Northern Youths) and recognised as an Icon and Cynosure of Societal Transformation.
The NCCSALW said the engagement reflects its commitment to building strategic partnerships with key stakeholders and empowering communities, particularly young people, to play an active role in preventing the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons across Nigeria.
