By Lawal A Dogara, Kaduna
Students’ group of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Speak Out Act Right (SOAR), Thursday said it had fashioned measures to curb extremism and hate speech among Nigerians called “Peer-to-Peer Challenging Extremism Campaign” to effectively deal with the problem.
Mr Elesha Timothy, the SOAR Coordinator, made this disclosure in an interview after a Kaduna-based NGO, Women Connect Initiative (WCI) visited the ABU Gender Policy Unit at the main campus, Zaria, Kaduna State.
He said that the essence of the campaign was to eradicate extremism and hate speech with a view to fostering unity among Nigerians.
”As students, we have a role to play as far as the unity of our dear nation is concerned; that is what informed our decision to embark on this campaign.
”We are into the campaign among us. We also reach out to neighbouring communities and to the public,” he said.
In her address, the Coordinator, WCI, Hajiya Murjanatu Suleiman-Shika, lauded the efforts of the group and urged them to sustain the tempo for the collective good of Nigerians.
”Your recent campaign has yielded positive results and you have succeeded in changing the mindset of students among themselves.
”Our organisation has closely followed the activities of the group in this university; goes by the name, Speak Out Act Right (SOAR).
”We are told that SOAR operates under this unit and that is why we chose to be here; to acknowledge the campaign and to show our readiness to support the campaign for 2018,” she said.
She said reports from researchers in Zaria showed that the dominant narrative of ethnic and religious differences was changing.
”We believe that such campaign should be sustained as we look forward to the 2019 general elections; our unity and peace should not be negotiable.
”To build a peaceable society, the campaign of this size along with their programmes should be promoted,” she said.
In her address, Dr Jamila Mohammed, the Coordinator, Prof. Aliyu Mohammed Foundation (PAMF), said there was a paradigm shift in Zaria.
She said students now see themselves as one irrespective of their religious, ethnic and ideological affiliations within the campus.
“Records show that over 76.7 per cent of the university population has been reached through the activities of SOAR.
”They also show that another 63.2 per cent reaching members of Samaru and Zaria communities.
