The International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP), a United States (US) Department of State’s Premier Professional Exchange Programme Alumni in Nigeria, has harped on the need for members to use their experiences, knowledge and collaboration with relevant stakeholders to address the country’s multifaceted challenges.
IVLP President Dr Baraka Sani stated this at a Valentine’s Reunion/Dialogue of the Alumni Association, with the theme “Love as a Foundation for Unity and Nation Building,” held in Abuja over the weekend.
Sani noted that sustainable change requires people from different backgrounds and perspectives to come together and exchange their knowledge, skills, and experiences.
She called all IVLP Eculpaa Alumni members to keep the flag flying as they continue to come together towards the association’s positive objective to move Nigeria forward.
“Now, we are all leaders in our various fields. Therefore, in the face of the current social and numerous challenges facing the world and our country in particular, in our capacity as Ivlp Ambassadors, we must use our experiences, knowledge, and strategies, including collaboration with relevant stakeholders, to make our contribution towards the resolution of these challenges.
“Today’s programme, the IVLP Alumni Connect, is positioned to allow us to continue such discussions and create an avenue for more collaborations that can move our country forward.
“IVLP is an avenue for global understanding and collaboration; in this process, peace and mutual understanding are promoted through networking. We all got that privilege, and now, we are back home. For this very reason, IVLP (Eculpaa) Alumni in Nigeria, under my leadership as the president, and for the past 2 years exactly set out to achieve this through the various programmes, webinars, community outreaches, Policy Advocacy and many other,” Sani added.
For his part, the Director-General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, also an IVLP alumnus, said love is a catalyst for fostering peace in every nation.
Ochogwu urged Nigerians to collectively commit to entrenching a culture of love and peace among people and communities for development to occur, as progress can not happen under an atmosphere of strife.
“Cultivating love within oneself leads to inner tranquillity, essential for extending peace to others. As individuals experience personal peace, they are more likely to contribute positively to their communities,” he noted.
