Amid Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, the newly elected National Chairman of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), Venerable Daniel Arowolo, has called on Christian youths nationwide to actively collaborate with security agencies to flush out insurgents and restore peace across the country.
Delivering his acceptance speech shortly after his emergence, Arowolo said young Christians must no longer remain on the sidelines while insecurity ravages communities, insisting that collective action with relevant authorities was now inevitable.
While describing his election as a divine trust and pledging purposeful, inclusive and service-driven leadership, the new CAN youth president noted that his emergence came with enormous responsibility which he viewed as a call to service.
He said: “Our nation is faced with serious security challenges, and the federal security agencies alone cannot cover everywhere.
“As youths, we are working towards building a youth security structure that will collaborate with federal security agencies to address insecurity from within our communities.”
Arowolo who maintained that sustainable development was impossible in the absence of peace, urged youths to adopt lawful and proactive roles by supporting security efforts through community monitoring, timely intelligence and upright conduct.
He hailed the leadership of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, His Eminence, Most Reverend Archbishop Daniel Okoh, describing him as a strong pillar who had consistently prioritised youth inclusion and capacity development within the Christian body.
Arowolo equally acknowledged the contributions of the immediate past Chairman, Belusochukwu Enwere, saying his tenure helped reposition YOWICAN as a unifying force and strengthened interfaith cooperation and youth engagement across the country.
He said his administration would not abandon past achievements but would build on them by expanding programmes in discipleship, evangelism, leadership grooming, advocacy for social justice and national rebirth rooted in Christian principles.
According to him, deliberate efforts would be made to ensure broad participation in the affairs of the association, assuring that no zone, state or grassroots fellowship would be sidelined under his leadership.
Speaking further, Arowolo explained that empowering Christian youths with the right skills and orientation would form a major focus of his tenure, stressing that this would complement ongoing national initiatives to stabilise the country.
“As a Christian leader, I will continue to encourage youths to stand against every form of insecurity so that the peace of God will reign in our land,” he said.
Delivering his farewell address earlier, the outgoing chairman, Belusochukwu Enwere described his five-year stewardship, which commenced in February 2021, as a period marked by reconciliation efforts, youth-driven peace campaigns and faith-based empowerment initiatives.
He recalled milestones recorded during his tenure, including the organisation of nationwide peace conventions, active participation at the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council Youth Wing, the distribution of one million copies of the Bible, as well as the introduction of a unified national YOWICAN attire to promote cohesion and identity.
Enwere further disclosed that the association benefited from the donation of seven eco-friendly buses by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to enhance youth evangelism and outreach activities. He expressed gratitude to CAN leadership and various partners across government, civil society and the private sector, while affirming his confidence in the new leadership.
A former National President of YOWICAN, Daniel Kadzai who noted that al the newly elected officials were all qualified for their respective positions, urged them to explore their wealth of knowledge to further strengthen peace, unity and progress in the country.
“I want to assure Nigerians that these leaders are qualified to hold any position and we believe that it will bring peace and unity to Nigeria as a nation. They should focus on the unity of Nigeria because Nigeria needs to be one.
