The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Peace

  • Ex-minister Etete: peace must reign in Bayelsa

    Ex-minister Etete: peace must reign in Bayelsa

    The former Minister of Petroleum and one of the elder statesmen in Bayelsa State, Chief Dan Etete, has urged the parties contesting tomorrow’s election to allow peace reign.

    He said it was only through peace that the state could develop.

    In a statement, Etete enjoined the people to accept the poll’s results, saying Bayelsans should support whoever wins, to develop the state.

    He said: “Since July when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the timetable for the election and fixed it for December 5, a lot has happened. Politicians across the divide, in order to drum up support for themselves, have done everything under the sun, including intimidation and threat, to make their position clear to the people.

    “Some organisations have even gone to the extent of threatening President Muhammadu Buhari over the election. A militant organisation went as far as saying: ‘We wish to admonish President Muhammadu Buhari not to engage election riggers in the governorship election, as such vicious and surreptitious antics shall not only be vehemently resisted, but may also lead to waking the sleeping dog from sleep. We call on the United Nations and, indeed, the international community, to bear us witness as we are not unaware of the planned use of ‘federal might’ to intimidate the people of Bayelsa State in favour of their chosen candidate.’

    “May I say with every sense of responsibility that such threats have no place in democracy. There is enough room for everyone if only we can agree that all of us cannot rule at the same time. The founding fathers of this state, of which I am privileged to be one, have lofty dreams for the people and the state since its creation in 1997.

    Almost 20 years after, I am glad at the achievements of this great state. I am particularly happy that within its short existence, Bayelsa can with pride compare to other federating units in Nigeria in terms of human and material development. I am grateful to the Almighty that the first President from the Southsouth hails from Bayelsa State.

    “Gradually the Ijaw nation is beginning to enjoy a pride of place in Nigeria. We can only go higher at the rate at which we are developing, provided we do not use our hands to destroy what the founding fathers have toiled very hard to build.

    “It is on this pedestal that I stand to call politicians in the state, whether of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), or the All Progressives Congress (APC), and others to be cautious in tomorrow’s election.”

  • Alaafin stresses imperatives of culture for peace

    Alaafin stresses imperatives of culture for peace

    The alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has decried what he called the “gradual extinction” of Yoruba customs and traditions. According to him,  “considering the rate at things move these days, it will be disastrous allowing our traditions go into oblivion in the face of permissiveness”.

    “How many Yoruba sons and daughters can brilliantly articulate their local language? It is frightening that our own language is dangling on the pit of extinction while preference is accorded foreign language, which is English. Languages often hold the record of a people’s history, including their songs, stories, praise, poetry and ancient traditions,” he said.

    Alaafin, who spoke at the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, as guest lecturer on Secret of Language and Culture observed that many indigenous cultures contain a wealth of information about the local environment and their floral and fauna resources, based on thousands of years of close interaction, experience, and problem-solving. He noted that with the extinction of language, man loses access to local understanding of plants, animals, and the ecosystems, some of which have important medicinal value, and many of which remain undocumented by science.

    According to the monarch, the survival of threatened languages, and the indigenous knowledge contained within, is an important aspect of maintaining biological diversity.

    Oba Adeyemi stressed: “languages are now becoming extinct faster than birds, mammals, fish or plants. Of the estimated 7,000 unique languages spoken in the world today, nearly half are likely to disappear this century, with an average of one lost every two weeks.

    “It is most likely that in less than 50 years from now, even some major Nigerian languages, if not encouraged, can become extinct, and lecturers in our Universities would have cause to excite their students with great lectures in a course on, say, ‘ancient’ Igbo or ‘ancient’ Yoruba languages, and of which they would speak with nostalgia, ‘They once flourished in the distant past, but have now become extinct’. This is a disheartening possibility for anyone, who cares about our indigenous languages, the history and unrecorded knowledge they carry within them.”

    The monarch also spoke on African traditional religion, which he said, clearly plays a distinctive role as the ultimate source of supernatural power and authority that sanction and reinforce public morality.

    Continuing, he said: “It is pressed into full service to maintain social order, peace and harmony. Traditional Africans believe that success in life, including the gift of off-spring, wealth and prosperity, are all blessings from the gods and ancestors. They accrue to people, who work hard, and who strictly adhere to the customs, and traditional norms of morality of the community, people, who strictly uphold the community ideal of harmonious living. Only such people could entertain a real hope of achieving the highly esteemed status of ancestor hood in the hereafter.

    “The vast majority of norms, taboos and prohibitions is directed towards protecting the community and promoting peace and harmony. Communal farmland, economic interests like the market-place, stream or shrine are generally surrounded with taboos, including, who may or may not enter, and when and under what circumstances people are permitted or not to enter such places. Stealing is abhorred. It is in fact, an abomination to steal things relating to people’s vital life-interests and occupation.’’

    Religion, according to him, may be distinct and separate from morality, as many scholars have rightly argued. “’For traditional Africans, however, the line dividing the two is very thin indeed. African traditional religion plays a crucial role in the ethical dynamics of the different groups.

    “In the traditional African background, ‘gods serve as police men’. African traditional world-views invariably outline a vision of reality that is, at once ethical in content and orientation. Human beings and their world are the focal centre of a highly integrated universe.  Human conduct is seen as key in upholding the delicate balance believed to exist between the visible world and the invisible one,” he added.

  • NLC: Long road to peace

    NLC: Long road to peace

    The internal crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) may soon end. A seven-man reconciliatory committee is on the verge of striking a peace deal between NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba and his arch opponent Comrade Joe Ajaero. CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    The nine-month old leadership crisis rocking the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will soon be over. The warring factions of Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero have agreed to sheathe their swords and embrace peace in the interest of workers.

    Since February, the NLC has been embroiled in a crisis after its botched election that was to hold during its 11th Delegates’ Conference at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. The election was marred by allegations of corruption in the NLC Kriston-Lally Housing project and multiple balloting during voting. Since then, the Congress has been in the eye of the storm, with two persons laying claim to its leadership.

    However, baring last minute changes, the two factions may sign a peace agreement this week, to end the feud. Indications to this emerged after a joint meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the factions involving mainly presidents and general secretaries of their affiliates on Friday, November 20,  at the Labour House, Abuja.

    The meeting, it was learnt, was a fall-out of the November 12 meeting hosted by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and other veterans, including pioneer NLC President Comrade Hassan Sunmonu. The Nation exclusively gathered that, at the meeting, a seven-man Reconciliatory Committee set up by the veterans was given the nod to prepare a peace document that will be signed by the warring parties.

    Before the meeting, NLC veterans led by Comrade Oshiomhole are said to have mounted intense pressure on leaders of both factions to tow the line of peace.  A source close to the NLC told The Nation that before the meeting, the veterans had made up their minds on the issue of unity of the labour movement other than looking at the causes of the crisis and had communicated same to leaders of both factions.The veterans are said to have impressed it on leaders of the factions that they suffered to build the movement and they can’t see it being destroyed.

    According to the source, the Reconciliatory Committee may this week present a peace agreement to the joint meeting of the factional leaders to sign. The concern within labour circles, however, is that while the agreement would restore peace and unity, the Congress is likely going to have unity without justice since the initiators of the peace deal are not interested in investigating the causes of the crisis.

    “We see these veterans looking for peace at all cost, but as we speak now none of them has sighted the ballot papers to know whether they are real or wrong. No investigation to ascertain the allegations of rigging and other manipulations. The veterans are just saying let us come together.

    “If for the first time in our history, the issue of corruption is clear even before the election and the issue of rigging during the election; all these have been identified and everybody acknowledges them and you fail to address it, that will be very dangerous for the movement if people who committed impunity through rigging and other manipulations to achieve power are allowed to go scot free,” the source said.

    Besides, he said the main problem is how to address the issues of the state councils. His words: “The problem is that each factions conducted valid election in the state and produced officers. They passed through every constitutional requirement to conduct their elections. There was no issue of disagreement or protest. How the state councils are addressed will go a long way in addressing the unity issue.”

    While emphasising that there is need to address all the issues that led to the crisis, he said: “When you have unity without justice you are just postponing the evil day. It is because of the love some of us have for the veterans. It is not as if the constitution provided any role for them before now. Suddenly we started listening to them and they are telling us we don’t want NLC to break.”

  • New Oluwo calls for love, peace

    New Oluwo calls for love, peace

    The new Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, last Friday observed his first Jumat Prayers at Iwo Central Mosque with fanfare.

    The monarch rode on a white immaculate horse from the Ile Oonto, where he is expected to spend 30 days before his coronation in accordance with the customs and tradition of the ancient town.

    The combined team of security agents, including the police, the men of the Department of State Security (DSS), the  Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had a hectic time controlling the huge crowd that lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the 48-year-old monarch.

    It took Oba Akanbi more than one hour to get to the Iwo Central Mosque from the Oonto House, which is about 400 metres away from the venue of the prayer.

    Addressing his subjects, the elated traditional ruler called for love, stability, peaceful co-existence and tranquility among the residents of Iwo.

    Affirming his belief in the spirit of good neighbourliness among his subjects, Oba Akanbi made references to different chapters and verses of the Holy Quran and the ideals of Prophet Muhammed, saying the love of one’s town is part of worship to Allah.

    He added that for any community to develop, its inhabitants must possess high sense of love, peace and unity.

    He said: “There is need for us as indigenes of Iwo to love one another and do away with anything that can tear us apart because in real sense, we are beings of the same mother. I am soliciting for true love between one another most importantly our home-Iwo, because this is the only place that we can call our abode where-ever we are in the world.”

  • ‘I’ll promote peace, citizens’ welfare’

    ‘I’ll promote peace, citizens’ welfare’

    The newly installed Baale of Ilupeju, Lagos, Chief Michael Idowu Orelaja, has pledged to promote peace, progress and ensure the welfare of the Ilupeju residents.  He also promised to support the local and state governments’ programmes to make life better for his people.  He spoke at his palace while marking the seventh day of his coronation.

    Chief Orelaja was installed as the fifth Baale, having succeeded the late Chief James Adeboye Olaleye, who died on April 20, last year.

    He was selected after much screening by the Council of Chiefs among many contestants. Many traditional chiefs, monarchs, political stalwarts and dignitaries across the country were present at the event to rejoice with the ‘authentic’ Baale as he was fondly called by youths.

    While thanking the Council of Chiefs and citizens of the town, Chief Orelaja pledged to contribute his quota to the development of Ilupeju Township. He promised to find solution to some of the challenges that members of the community experience and create an enabling environment for residents to realise their potential; just as they will be made to live harmoniously.

    The Baale said he would work with both state and local governments to re-orientate his people and create awareness on environmental safety and security within the township.

    He urged the youth to shun all forms of indiscipline and social vices that can cause chaos in the area. Chief Orelaja harped on peaceful co-existence within the town as panacea for development and progress promising to embark on youths’ development programme that could make them acquire skills that can make them useful to themselves and the community.

     

  • Peace and me

    In a recent tweet on the Journalists for Christ Twitter handle (@journalistsFC), I asked if journalists were one of those Jesus Christ had in mind when he said in Matthew 5:9, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

    I am yet to get a response to my question from any of the followers of the handle, but I have a conviction that even though there were no journalists when the statement was made, journalists now have a major role to play in promoting peace in whatever they publish and broadcast on their various platforms.

    There is a report of how in the second republic in Nigeria, a federal radio station played a popular song Give Peace a Chance during a political crisis and the state radio played Get up, Stand Up, Stand up for your Right.

    Many lives were lost in the crisis, no thanks to radio stations that chose to fuel the crisis instead of helping to quell it.

    What can I do for peace as a journalist?

    As a journalist, I take the role of promoting peace seriously. My theory for justifying the need for journalists to be peacemakers is that the media needs peace to thrive.

    I usually remind journalists who indulge in fuelling any crisis situation that they should always remember that the media also has a lot to lose.

    In war or any other violent case, not only are journalists’ movements restricted like others, the media business is adversely affected.

    Many journalists who dare to report some of the crises have been killed.

    As a journalist, I will continue to do my best to promote peace in my publications and urge others to do the same.

    I wholeheartedly subscribe to the principle of peace journalism which states that journalists should make choices that increase the prospects of peace.

    The choices include how to frame stories and carefully choose words in the body and headlines of the reports without compromising the basic principles of good journalism.

    As an Editor, I will be more careful in deciding what story should be given prominence considering the overall interest of the society. I will seek to educate my readers on controversial issues to ensure that they have better understanding, especially when there is a deliberate attempt to mislead the people by interested groups.

    I will do my best to get all sides of any story and provide necessary context with a view to ensuring that the general public is better served.

    I will be more willing to take sides with the government of my country in a crisis situation like the kind we are having against Boko Haram terrorists. I will not allow my organisation to be used by terrorists to make false claims which sometimes gives the wrong impression that they are having an upper hand even when they are losing grounds.

    What are the limitations for me to work for peace?

    There is no major limitation for me to work for peace. The code of conduct for journalists in my country implores us to strive to enhance national unity and public good.

    There are, however, instances when journalists don’t have enough information or access to give a true account of a crisis situation. We have had to rely on information that cannot be verified and end up misinforming the public.

    Government officials and even the general public sometimes also make our work difficult by not being willing to speak up when they should. We are aware that there is information that the government cannot disclose, but journalists need to be taken into confidence to help them know how to go about reporting some issues.

    How can I overcome the limitations?

    I have a commitment to promoting peace in whatever way I can, and will do everything possible to overcome any limitation except it is beyond my control.

    Instead of rushing to write on any controversial issue, I will opt for seeking all necessary information to enable me have a truthful, balanced and fair report or informed commentary.

    How about us?

    We all have a duty to ensure peace and must work together.

    My remarks  at the Peace Forum organised by the Heavenly Culture World Peace Restoration of Light , International Peace Youth Group and International Women Peace Group in Lagos.

  • Police seek peace

    Police seek peace

    The police in Bayelsa State yesterday urged politicians and parties to obey the rules guiding electoral processes before, during and after the December 5 governorship poll.

    Police Commissioner Nasiru Oki said they were aware of the rules of engagement and must operate within the ambit of the law.

    He said on election day, people were expected to go to their polling units, cast their votes peacefully and return to their homes.

    Oki said nobody would be allowed to carry weapons, such as guns, knives and cudgels to the polling centres.

    He enjoined parties to obtain police permit before campaigning.

    The police boss said: “People should know the rules guiding election and they should play by them. Nobody is allowed to do unethical things that are against the electoral laws. Everybody should understand the electoral laws and obey them.

    “When you want to vote, go to the polling booth, vote quietly and return to your home. You are not allowed to carry weapons, such as guns, knives and cutlasses to the polling centres.  You will commit an offence if you do so.

    “Obtain police permission before campaigning. If you don’t do that you are committing an offence and we will not allow you to do so. Anybody desirous of campaigning in Bayelsa should ensure the police are informed.”

    On the high crime rate ahead of the poll, Oki said the police were doing their best to curb it.

    He appealed to the people to cooperate with his command in crime fighting.

    According to him, the police needed assistance in information sharing, noting that community policing was the best strategy to combat crimes.

    Oki, who gave his telephone numbers to the public, asked them to call him and report suspicious activities in their areas.

     

  • Atiku: Dantoro was advocate of peace, unity

    Atiku: Dantoro was advocate of peace, unity

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the death of the Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Haliru Dantoro, has robbed Nigeria of a passionate advocate of peace, unity, religious tolerance and harmonious coexistence among the country’s complex ethnic diversities.

    Atiku, in a statement by his media office in Abuja over the weekend, noted that the late Dantoro was one of the greatest traditional rulers “one could ever encounter, and he always came across as a leader preoccupied with the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.”

    According to the Turaki Adamawa, at whatever “age a man dies, what matters is not the length of years on the throne, or on earth, but the enviable legacy he had built for himself while he was privileged to serve his people.”

    He said throughout his life reign, the late emir had stayed out of controversy, adding that he only preoccupied himself with issues that promoted unity in the country, rather than divisiveness.

    The former vice president explained that the late Dantoro’s contributions to peace and unity were immeasurable.

    Nigeria would greatly miss such an “outstanding, decent and patriotic traditional ruler,” Atiku said.

    He extended his condolences to the family, the government and the people of Niger State over the death of the emir, praying to “Allah to grant the deceased an eternal bliss in paradise”

  • Group celebrates peace, unity

    Group celebrates peace, unity

    It was a gathering of kinsmen. Though scattered throughout the federation, they are kith and kin. Their gathering was a proof that wherever a people are scattered, they should identify with themselves once in a while. It was also evidence that distance is not a barrier to the unity of different tribes.

    The Bille people of in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State demonstrated this much when they held their 3rd National Annual Peace Seminar/Public Enlightenment Campaign on the Need for Unity, Self Re-discovery, Peaceful Co-Existence and Solidarity among the JAMKAB Ethnic Group.”

    The event organised by the JAMKAB Peace and Empowerment Initiative was held at Iwo-Ama Town Hall in Bille Kingdom.

    The acronym JAMKAB reflects the initials of the tribes that sprang up from Bille which originated from Nigeria Bantu or Benue–Congo language.

    The tribes which are Jahr; Afizere; Mbula; Kantana; Kulun; Kwaita; Bille, Bambur; Bade; Tambo; Bakopi and Bwazza Mabilla are spread across 10 states of the federation namely Plateau; Bauchi; Gombe; Taraba; Yobe; Adamawa; Nasarawa; Kaduna and Rivers states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    Welcoming participants at the seminar from these tribes spread in these states, the Secretary, Bille Kingdom Chiefs of Council, Chief Ibiba Kombonimi, said that “occasion such as this helps in no small measure to realise our communality, bridge the gap and thereby foster the unity, peace and stability that we sorely need in this country.”

    Kombonimi stressed the need for the people to forge unity because “in this era when a man without relations can be trampled upon without much ado, we are glad to know that we have our people out there and they are yearning to relate with us at all times.”

    He further said that “even though physical distance could be a veritable barrier to effective communication, it cannot discourage a mind assured of assistance in time of need,” adding that the presence of their kinsmen from other states is a sufficient assurance “that we are never alone anymore.”

    While reiterating that all Bille people come from the same source, Kombonimi also urged his people to always show keen interest and try and identify with one another whenever they come across one another, stressing that “our identification might save life, secure an opportunity or encourage a flagging effort to rise to a challenging moment; thus securing the needed peace, unity and solidarity in Nigeria.”

    During his speech, the originator of JAMKAB Peace and Empowerment Initiative, Comrade Butswat Kunwur explained the vision and mission of the organisation which he said was basically to improve the life of JAMKAB people by forging a common front.

    Kunwur also said his organisation would “unite the JAMKAB people for their socio-political and economic well-being within the context of the Nigerian society.

    “Based on this belief, we maintain that the crises in Nigeria are due to the inability of government to inculcate into its citizens a genuine sense of patriotism that pays unalloyed loyalty and allegiance to their fatherland.”

    The former Military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, who was the chairman on the occasion stated that the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct and that no group in the country should be regarded as minority.

    Gowon, who was represented by Alhaji Isa Hashimu Salami from Plateau State, noted that everybody is Nigerian and Nigeria is one.

    While thanking Bille people for their hospitality, he promised that they would all work together to create job opportunities for the people as well as empower them.

    In a 13-point communiqué issued at the end of the event, the people said they were happy to celebrate their discovered identity despite their expansive geographical spread, promising to continue their unifying annual cultural events.

    They also urged Nigerians to support and promote all programmes geared towards the promotion of peace and unity.

  • New path to peace in Gombe

    New path to peace in Gombe

    To stop inter-communal bloodshed over boundaries, do not redraw the borderlines; rekindle the friendliness and respect that existed among the forebears of the communities. VINCENT OHONBAMU reports

    The horrors of the insurgents are receding in Gombe State, giving the residents much-cherished relief. Even political thugs, dreaded for their thirst for blood, are being contained through the state government’s initiatives. But how do you stop the bloodbath on the borderlines, a development which continues to blight the state, costing it not just precious souls but valued properties?

    Many hold that redrawing the borders will help a great deal. But the Mai Kaltungo, Alhaji Mohammed Saleh is not one this lot. The traditional ruler and Deputy Chairman of Gombe State Council of Emirs and Chiefs said there is little to gain from boundary adjustment. The only thing that needs adjustment, he said, is the people’s feeling for one another on both sides of the border.

    People should simply start respecting one another again, and rekindle the friendliness that their ancestors on both sides of the border once shared. That was what ensured peace among communities, not who owned what land.

    One question the Mai Kaltungo likes to ask is, were the borders not there when their ancestors lived happily with one another?

    “We have to be one,” he said. “We are supposed to be one big town without any divisions. If we do not work towards cementing this good relationship, there will be problems.”

    The royal father’s call was necessitated by his concern over the perennial problems of land disputes in Gombe South Senatorial District, especially as it affects his immediate domain – Kaltungo and Shongom local governments on one side, and Billiri Local Government on the other.

    Oftentimes, most parties attempting to proffer solutions have always called for boundary demarcation as a way of finding a lasting peace to the seemingly unending matter.

    The last of such calls came in July from Hon Rambi Ibrahim Ayala who represents Billiri East constituency in Gombe State House of Assembly where he also chairs the House Committee on Land and Water Resources.

    He moved a motion seeking the clear-cut demarcation of boundaries in Gombe South Senatorial District as a means to ending the bloodshed; just as he called for the reinforcement of security as an interim measure while still working at a lasting solution.

    The Emir who was speaking as part of his to the people after Durbar (traditional horse riding and paying/receiving homage) buttressed his point about peaceful coexistence by exemplifying with the traditional hunters that normally participate in the Durbar which he said were predominantly Christians.

    “You see these traditional hunters, about 90% of them are Christians but we celebrate sallah together. This is an Islamic affair. We go to the eid ground with them. They will just stay aside while we pray. After prayers, we all come and celebrate together. That tells you the kind of unity that is here,” he said.

    It is not clear what the state government is planning regarding finding a lasting peace, but Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo as part of the immediate past sallah message told traditional rulers, community and religious leaders and the entire citizenry to continually strive towards sustaining the existing peace in the state.

    He said government as the primary responsibility of providing adequate security for the lives and property of its citizenry would continue to support security agencies to discharge their duties while urging all to “be law abiding and to shun acts capable of disrupting the peaceful co-existence the state is enjoying”.