…COMMENDS PEACE INITIATIVE COMMITTEE FOR FOSTERING PEACE-BUILDING
The State Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Olóyè Akolawole Shoremi, has described an assembly of renounced cultists as “Messengers of Peace.” This declaration was made during the first anniversary of the Ogun Central Youth Unity Advocacy and Empowerment Initiative Foundation, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, on February 14, 2026.
The foundation, codenamed the Peace Initiative Committee (PIC), was founded a year ago by ten former cultists who resolved to walk away from violence, cult clashes, and drug abuse to join stakeholders in building a safer Ogun State.
Addressing the audience, Shoremi lauded the founding members for their commitment to becoming protectors of society. “A year ago, ten former cult leaders resolved to do the unthinkable. You didn’t just walk away from violence; you turned your back on social apprehension and drug abuse to build safer communities in Ogun Central and the state at large,” he stated.
“Today, with a growing membership of forty-nine members, those once presumed to be enemies of society have become protectors of our communities. Your assembly has moved from being tormentors of the public to being partners in peace. Mothers, fathers, and children now sleep more soundly as a result of your resolution to kick against cultism.”
Shoremi further highlighted the committee’s impact: “From your visible sensitization efforts against violence—using billboards and road walks—to the empowerment of vulnerable youths, the youth leadership of Ogun State is impressed by the vision driving the Peace Initiative Committee and your heartwarming resolution to make our society a better place.”
“I hereby call on both state and non-state actors to wholeheartedly welcome the Peace Initiative Committee. I urge the Government of Ogun State and our Security Chiefs to invest in this noble ideal. No investment in peace-building is ever too expensive,” Shoremi concluded.
The event, themed ‘Promoting Peaceful Co-Existence, Youth Dialogue, and Drug-Free Communities,’ featured insightful lectures from the Commander of SWAT, CSP Murphy Salami; the PPRO of the Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi; and the Commander of the NDLEA, CN Tijani Rabe.
A highlight of the event was a drama session chronicling the tragic journey of a young man whose mother’s sacrifices were cut short when he was shot by a fellow cultist immediately after his National Youth Service Corps program.
