Follow Us on Google
By Ndidiamaka Ede
Two Nigerians, Edwin Okpala and Grace Watirahyel Samuel, have been selected to participate in the first regional lead trainers’ course on child protection scheduled to be held in Rwanda from September 25 to 29.
Okpala, chartered mediator and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration expert is at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre while Samuel is with the Nigerian Army.
A statement by the Executive Director of the Dallaire Institute, Shelly Whitman, stated that the course, organised by Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security of Canada, will bring the participants up to speed on best practices in preventing the recruitment and use of children, while enhancing their ability to independently lead Dallaire Institute courses across the continent.
He said: “The Dallaire Institute believes in the importance of collaboration that leads to long term systemic change to place children at the heart of peace and security. The lead trainers’ course will bring together our champions for change from military and police institutions across the African continent, so they can support and learn from one another on how to prevent the recruitment and use of children and we, at the Dallaire Institute, can continue to learn from their experiences to ensure our approaches are effective.”
He said the institute is a global leader in preventing the recruitment and use of children in armed violence and has worked with the Nigerian military, police, and civil society groups since 2017.
According to him, the institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the Martin Luther Agwai Leadership and International Peacekeeping Centre (MLALIPKC) and the African Peace Support Training Association (APSTA) in 2021 as part of collaborative efforts to support capacity building activities.
