Andrea Riccardi's visit to Nigeria began among the children of Makoko, one of Lagos's most vulnerable communities, where Sant'Egidio's School of Peace has run for years.
Andrea Riccardi's historic visit to Nigeria began not in a government office or a cathedral, but among the children of Makoko — the sprawling waterfront slum on Lagos Lagoon, home to tens of thousands of people living in some of the most precarious conditions in West Africa.
The School of Peace in Makoko is one of Sant'Egidio's longest-running programmes in Nigeria — a space where children who are often ignored by the city around them are welcomed, listened to, and educated. The programme reaches children who have little access to formal schooling, offering friendship, learning, and the experience of being valued.
"I like the School of Peace because they listen to me here." — A child in Makoko, during Andrea Riccardi's visit.
Friendship as a Method
Prince Henry Ezeike, National Representative of Sant'Egidio in Nigeria, has described the community's approach: "Our way of service is through friendship and not through material things. We walk with the poor through solidarity, friendship and faith-inspired action."
The Schools of Peace programme now reaches over 3,000 children across Lagos, Abuja, Kano and beyond — including in IDP camps where children displaced by conflict have found a place of stability and hope. For many, the School of Peace is the only place where an adult asks them how they are doing.
A Visit That Matters
For Riccardi, beginning the Nigeria visit in Makoko rather than in institutional settings was a deliberate choice — a sign of where the Community's heart lies. From Lagos, he travelled to Abuja for the inauguration of the new national house and meetings with government officials on dialogue and national reconciliation.