A former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has said there can never be peaceful elections in Nigeria until Nigerians are ready to do the necessary things.
He spoke at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR’s) International Day of Peace in Abuja where he was awarded Fellow of Peace Institute (fpi).
Jonathan, who was the chairman of the event, said out of the top 10 countries in conflict today, three are located in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The major cause of conflict in Africa is the struggle for leadership. That is why I am very worried about Nigeria. Until we develop the culture of peace, Nigeria will remain in conflict. And if we aren’t careful, the country will conflagrate in flames.”
He stressed that peaceful elections do not necessarily hinge on technology, military intervention, or justifying evil deeds as politicking.
“Senegal did not use technology to conduct its elections, and held elections in school classrooms, but everybody involved in the electoral process including the electoral umpire, the electorate and the voters were ready to do the right thing.
“We talk about technology in Nigerian elections, but without the human mind being ready to do what is necessary, elections will never be peaceful in Nigeria.”
Jonathan urged the government to desist from devaluing the Nigerian military by deploying them in civic responsibility duties. He also asked politicians to stop labelling evil acts as politicking, saying, “Stop justifying what is wrong as politics. It is not politics, it is evil.”
The former president urged Nigerian voters, INEC and the judiciary to play their parts right.
“We must all begin to think differently in Nigeria. We must cultivate the culture of peace, which means our entire way of life should be anchored around peace. We have no choice as a nation than for all of us to build a culture of peace,” said Jonathan.
Dr. Jonathan was awarded Fellow of Peace Institute for his exemplary expression of peace via his action of conceding defeat to former president, Muhammadu Buhari, in the 2015 elections, thus, recording the first civil government to transit power peacefully to an opposition party in Nigeria. He has also served in various capacities as an election observer and in conflict mediation in several countries across Africa.
His award precedes that of former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, who was the first to receive it in 2023.
Also awarded was National Assembly representative, Hon Eze Nwachukwu, whose ‘Community Peace Building’ efforts have led to the successful and ongoing peace process between the two conflicting border communities in Ebonyi and Benue states.
“People enjoy peace but don’t realise that they should invest in it. The world is tottering on the verge of nuclear warfare. As individuals, groups, government and a people, we must reject the culture of violence and embrace the culture of peace,” said the director general of IPCR, Dr Joseph Ochogwu.
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