Nigeria's First Lady, Dr. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, Monday, called on African First Ladies to join hands and work together in order to curb the escalation of the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
Dr. Buhari made this call in her remarks at the 10th General Assembly of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
She announced that the newly completed AFLPM Secretariat in Abuja would be commissioned on May 9, 2023.
According to her, "The realisation and completion of the Secretariat, which I'm very proud to 'launch' was funded by the support of the Nigerian government, member states and private donors. This is a true testament of AFLPM's mission and vision to serve as a supportive platform and mechanism for the women-led initiatives that will contribute to the advancement of peace, stability and security on our continent.
"Indeed, beyond serving as a secretariat for the AFLPM, the building will also be a home and hope for other Africa women-led organisations, and a center of excellence.
"Another humanitarian window has been exposed with the sudden eruption of violence in Sudan. All hands must be on deck to ensure that the problems are not allowed to escalate. This mission is open to engaging with all relevant bodies in this regard."
Noting that kinetic approaches have not been successful in ending conflicts,Mrs Buhari said other approaches must be pursued such as constructive engagement with wealthy individuals to create deliberate opportunities for poverty reduction and engaging the media as a key player to be tasked with its agenda-setting role.
The outgoing Chairperson of AFLPM further said that educational institutions must introduce a curriculum of peace studies and promote the development of peace clubs in secondary schools.
She said, "As you are aware, my husband tenure as president of Nigeria will end on the 29th of May 2023. Accordingly, a new president and vice president have been elected during our closed-door session and they are officially to Burundi as the president AFLPM and the vice president is the First Lady of Niger Republic.
"Her term begins on the day my term as First Lady ends, that is 29 May 2023. I wish her good luck during her tenure, and as I express confidence that her tenure will move AFLPM a notch higher and I promise to remain supportive to her in my role as the Chair of the honourary Advisory Council."
