October 29, (THEWILL) – Stakeholders at the International Peace Conference have agreed that good governance at all levels is the major criterion for having peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.
The Conference with the theme, “Interfaith Peaceful Co-existence”, which was organised by the Christian Youths in Politics (CYP), brought together religious leaders among them Christians, Muslims, Traditionalists and politicians from various political parties and was held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking at the Conference, a chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, called on government at all levels in the country to provide good governance, which according to him, is the only way to foster peaceful co-existence among the various adherents of religion and different ethnic tribes.
Ajadi, who was the Organising Committee Chairman for the Conference, said for Nigerians to enjoy peaceful co-existence the government must promote equity and fairness in the allocation of resources, pursue even development of all the zones or parts of the country and put in place social welfare provisions for citizens.
According to him, “God has provided this country with all it needs to take care of its citizens. It is now left for the government to utilise such resources to promote peaceful co-existence in the country.
“To do that, there must be good leadership and good leadership can only come from politicians who have a genuine interest of the people at heart.
“Whenever we have the opportunity, let’s support only those office seekers who have the interest of the people at heart.”
He said there is no better time than now for an international peace conference than now, saying “Internationally, the State of Israel is at war with her Arab neighbours and that war is threatening to drag in many other nations of the world.
“Look at what is happening in different parts of Nigeria – disagreements and conflicts here and there. Rather than peace and harmony, what we are seeing is bitterness, acrimony, distrust, fighting, destruction of lives and property and total disunity. With all these, you will agree with me that the organisers of their conference deserve a commendation.”
Also speaking at the occasion, the President of CYP, Ambassador Kolawole Princess, said the conference is aimed at ensuring that there is peaceful co-existence among the adherents of the three religions in the country namely Christianity, Islam and the traditional religions.
She said the CYP is not a partisan organization but encourages Christians to take an active interest in politics by participating in elections as a means of choosing the right leadership for the country.
She said Nigeria should remain peaceful despite its multi-religious and multi-ethnic status as a secular state.
“The adherents of the three religions in the country should live in peace and harmony. There is no family in the country, especially in Yoruba land where you will not find adherents of the three religions. Why then are we fighting ourselves in the name of religion? We must stop fighting, unite and work for peaceful co-existence,” she said.
Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, on InterFaith Affairs, Rev.Olufemi Ibikunle, called on the politicians to stop dividing the people along religious lines.
According to him, “You can peacefully seek vote during the election, but please don’t divide us, let us live in peace, we are one people irrespective of our religious differences.
“All the three religions are from the same source. They all preach peace and if we are truly religious, then we should be peaceful. The country can only grow in times of peace and we deserve peace to ensure socio-economic growth in the country.
The peace conference witnessed the attendance of eminent Nigerians, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, who was represented by the Onifeguwa of Ifeguwa, Oba Solomon Adedire, representative of the Lagos and Oyo States Government, among other dignitaries.