Elections: Group Urges Nigerians To Be Agents Of Peace, Eschew Violence

Obey The Macedonian Call (OTMC) has called on Nigerians to be agents of peace and eschew all forms of violence before, during and after the declaration of results in the 2023 general elections.

Nigerian representative and Chairman Kaduna State Christian Association of Nigerian Rev. John Joseph Hayab stated this on Friday while addressing newsmen in Kaduna.

The text of the briefing tagged, “let us birth Nigeria’s glorious destiny,” which is jointly signed by Rev John Joseph Hayab, Archbishop Joe Yari, Rev Caleb Ma’aji and Mr. Jubal Freeman Dabo said, “the truth must be told as many fathers and patriots of old dreaded yet they knew that this sensitive moment in Nigeria history would finally come, when one generation would have to make that decision on behalf of the future. The decision whether to embrace peace to bond in love or surrender to the inherited forces of disintegration at a terrible cost. 

“As we get prepared for the 2023 elections which are coming up tomorrow (Saturday) we are calling on all Nigerians to prayerfully embrace the wisdom that is better than weapons of war so that we can turn this election into a stepping stone towards building up Nigeria into the greatest nation of the world. We are not unaware of the crippling pains that the orchestrated fuel scarcity and shortage of currency has brought upon the nation.

“The good news we bring in this hour is that we have examined all the contributing factors and can announce a simple solution that will be a game changer. Opinions will always differ on how things should be done in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-generational country like ours. More so when the trauma of our violent past & painful experiences has never been healed. 

“Yet the truth is that the average Nigerian citizen, north, south, east and west are peace loving, trusting and patient Africans at heart. So why can’t we rise beyond the engineered divisions and stress to deploy the creative African advantage that defines our heritage. 

“It is a known fact world wide that it takes an entire community to bring up a child in Africa because we (left to ourselves) are our brothers keepers and God fearing people not to mention our natural tribal mastering of non-violent communication and the use of proverbs in settling all disputes.

“In order to de-escalate the present tensions, we need to consider that fact that most of us mean well. In a sense, we are all victims of history from the president to the peasant on the street. Our greatest problems are systemic in nature and we must not allow anyone to lead us on a self-destructive path. 

“Please listen to the following instructions and embrace your God-given African heritage to become an agent of peace during this election. Please cool down, lower your voice and embrace non-violent communication with proverbs since it is better to jaw-jaw than war-war.

 “Let all God-fearing people meet with others in the neighborhoods and resident associations to agree on strategies to keep their streets peaceful and safe for children during this election. Let each household keep a storage of basic food to last a few days and encourage the rationing and sharing of all resources within neighborhood clusters in case of challenges.

“Deliberately isolate the mischief makers in any community by using the tokens of peace to mark all households of peace while appealing to matriarchs and parents who can speak directly into the hearts of the wayward ones. 

“It is imperative that we must make and keep the peace throughout Nigeria this weekend and beyond while we work in cooperation with the Nigerians and well-wishers in the diaspora who are praying and offering their support for the peaceful conduct of our elections.  

“More counsels will be announced in the days ahead so please stay vigilant. Nigerians all over the world can contact us for more information on how to build the peace and future of Nigeria. God bless you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.