Imrana Alhaji Buba (born 6 August 1992) is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and activist who founded Youth Coalition Against Terrorism (YOCAT) which is now regarded as Youth Initiative Against Terrorism (YIAT), a volunteer-based organisation in northern Nigeria working to unite youth against violent extremism through peace education programs in schools and villages.[1]
[edit]Imrana Alhaji Buba speaking at the 2018 One Young World Summit
Buba had a traumatic experience with Boko haram in June 2010 while he was travelling to the University of Maiduguri as an undergraduate when his bus was stopped by the terrorists and passengers were kidnapped, he survived and also had friends and family who were killed by the Boko haram insurgency.[6][7] As a result of that he founded the Youth Coalition Against Terrorism (YOCAT) in August 2010[8] to offer counselling services to victims of terrorism, as well as providing peace education and skills training for unemployed youths.[9]
He provided employment opportunities for over 2000 youth in north-eastern Nigeria through partnerships with local government agencies and private organisations and the organisation recruited over 600 volunteers and partnered with many local bodies to organise different beneficial programs for young people in north-eastern Nigeria.[10][11]
In 2016, he was selected as one of the three Nigerians and twenty-one African change makers in the Commonwealth for the Queen's Young Leaders Award by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[12][13] His efforts around peace building in northern Nigeria made him a fellow of Generation Change Fellowship of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).[14]
His efforts in initiating peaceful youths in Northern-Nigeria made him speaker, particularly regarding to political instability in the country.[1] He was a speaker/panelist at the 2016/2017 International Day of Peace events at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP),[18] speaker at the 2017 Wage Peace event at the American University, speaker/panelist at the 2017 United Nations International Youth Day event,[19] speaker at the 2018 United Nations International Day for the Remembrance of Victims of Terrorism and the 2018 One Young World Summit.[20]
His vision is to enhance a culture of peace and tolerance that can break the cycle of conflict, violence, and terrorism that plague Nigeria.[21][22][23]
Nigeria
