As the 2023 election activities draw closer, Rotary International in Nigerian in yesterday joined forces with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution ( IPCR) to champion a campaign for peaceful Nigeria ahead of political activities.
To achieve its “Peaceful Nigeria Project, Rotary International in Nigerian flagged-off a nationwide grassroot peace sensitisation, voter education and human rights awareness campaign .
The move according to them is to foster greater commitment to peaceful elections, counter the evolving trends of online hate speech and increase participation in the 2023 general elections and beyond.
Speaking at the world event which held in Abuja, eith critical stakeholders in attendance, the District Governor (DG) of Rotary Club District 9125, Goddy Nnadi remarked that the existing crisis is not peculiar to Nigerians . He therefore enjoined all good spirited citizens to work at building peace at their homes, workplaces, schools and society in general.
He said, “ Community engagement is key. Let’s communicate more about peace. We have more educated nationals in the USA than any other country and they are willing to come home to invest. We must encourage them by creating an enabling and peaceful Nigerian for all to thrive,” he said.
On her part, Grace Okaro, the District Governor (DG) of Rotary Club District 9142, noted that peace is not just the absence of war, byt harped that youths without jobs and too much time on their hands are easily coaxed into fighting, hence the need for peace builders to work on creating jobs. We are talking about positive peace, building of structures that makes peace to reign,” she said.
She recalled that with memories of the Great War fresh in their minds, delegates to the 1921 Rotary convention in Edinburgh, Scotland, amended the association’s constitution to include the goal “to aid in the advancement of international peace and goodwill through a fellowship of business and professional men of all nations united in the Rotary ideal of service.”
The District Governor (DG) of Rotary Club District 9110, Omotunde Lawson said positive peace involves the development of a society in which, except for the absence of direct violence, there is no structural violence or social injustice.
