The President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Engineer Habu Gumel, has called for unity and peaceful existence in the country.
Gumel said this during celebrations marking 2022 Olympic Day at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, at the weekend.
He urged Nigerians to ensure peaceful coexistence just as the International Olympics Committee President, Thomas Bach, appealed to member nations to give peace a chance.
“When our founder, Pierre de Coubertin, revived the Olympic Games in 1894, he saw it as a way to promote peace among nations and people,” Bach said in a message titled “Message For Olympic Day 2022” read on his behalf by Gumel.
“Always the visionary, he said: ‘Should the institution of the Olympic Games proper, it can become a potent factor in securing universal peace.
“Therefore, the purpose of the Olympic Movement is always to promote peace through sport.
“This Olympic Day, when we celebrate the creation of the Olympic Movement, is, therefore, the perfect moment to remind ourselves of this peace mission”.
The message added: “Sports always builds bridges and brings people together in peace and solidarity.
”In these difficult times we are living through, with conflicts and division on the rise, we need this unifying power of sports more than ever before.
“This Olympic spirit guides us as we strive to go faster, aim higher, become stronger, by standing together — for a peaceful world.
“On this Olympic Day, please join us as we call on everyone around the world: ‘Give Peace a Chance’.”