AUN students’ peace campaign wins $5,000 continental award

@SimonEchewofun The American University of Nigeria (AUN) has won the first African Regional ‘Peer-to-Peer ‘(P2P) Challenging Extremism Competition to earn $5,000 grant to promote peace and unity in Nigeria.

Team AUN comprising Ms. Zamiyat Abubakar, Abdulmalik G. Aminu, Exploits Nicholas, Hafix Michika, and Mohammed Chubado Ahmed faced off with their counterparts from the University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana which was the first runner-up and Tunis Business School, (TBS) Tunisia, the second runner-up at the grand finale of the competition which held in Ghana last month.

Congratulating the victorious team, President of AUN, Margee Ensign said: “All of us at AUN are so proud of our students, and of the faculty who assisted them, in winning this important international award.

“The creativity, intelligence, hard work, and vision which went into this project, which promotes inter-religious understanding and tolerance, reflect what is best about AUN.”

The AUN Faculty Adviser who led the team to Ghana and interim associate dean, School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Jacob Udo Jacob said AUN received the first prize of $5,000, UDS got $3,000 and TBS earned $1,000. The Accra, Ghana he said was the first of such competition organised for Africa since the Challenging Extremism programme started 17 years ago.

Ms. Zamiyat, a graduating student of the university who was visibly excited about the feat said they created an app: ‘Beliepedia’ that provides an online space to show Islamic and Christian teachings and scriptural texts on some challenging questions on human existence.”

“We also organised peace-promoting football tournaments in Yola and stories-for-peace workshop in Mubi where we helped to converge victims of insurgency from both religions to promote the essence of unity and communal respect,” Michika said.