Kwara State Governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has said peace is an important prerequisite for national socio-economic and political development.

Speaking during Kwara Peace Summit in Ilorin on Monday, he stated that without peace there could not be progress.

He called for dialogue as a potent strategy for conflict resolution, adding that there must be conscious efforts by all stakeholders to create a peaceful environment that allows for growth and development.

According to him, youths should be engaged in constructive and productive ventures to boost peace and security in the state and Nigeria.

He said, "Government recognised the fact that we have more to gain with peace.

"We know that we have had some failures in the past. Our leaders in the past had taken a lot of things for granted and allowed decadence to enter the fabrics that first of all brought us together.

"But it is not an excuse for taking laws into our hands. Our responsibility is to make a better place for all. Kwara State is destined for peace, growth and shared prosperity. We must all become change agents."

Wife of the state governor, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, said there were national and global security challenges.

She stated that the peace summit was imperative as the country had witnessed a lot of destruction of lives and property in the past few months.