Nigeria Must Nurture Peace From Grassroots, Says Rotary President

The President of Rotary International, Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, has called on Nigerians to embrace grassroots-driven peacebuilding, institutional reforms and national unity, saying lasting peace cannot be achieved through military intervention and government institutions alone.

Babalola said sustainable peace must be nurtured from the foundation of society through collective commitment, mutual understanding, justice and inclusive development.

He spoke on Saturday at the All Nigeria Rotary Peace Summit in Lagos, where he urged government officials, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security agencies, civil society organisations and citizens to work together towards building a peaceful and prosperous country.

He noted that Nigeria had demonstrated considerable capacity in promoting peace and stability across Africa through its contributions to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and United Nations peacekeeping and peace support operations.

According to him, the country must now redirect some of its experience and commitment towards addressing internal challenges.

“Our work in Liberia and other parts of Africa shows that we have the experience and ability to help prevent and manage conflict beyond our borders.

“Now it is time to turn those energies inward — to bring our commitment to building peace among our neighbours and the world back home,” he said.

The Rotary president stressed that peace should not be understood merely as the absence of violence, arguing that sustainable peace depends on the attitudes, institutions and structures that promote peaceful coexistence.

“But we cannot impose peace. We must nurture it from the very roots of our society so it may grow into a great tree that will feed and shelter all of us under its protective embrace,” he said.

Babalola explained that Rotary’s approach to peacebuilding was anchored on the philosophy of Positive Peace, which recognises the importance of strong institutions, social inclusion, access to opportunities and community participation in preventing conflict.

He said meaningful peace in Nigeria required the involvement of every segment of society rather than exclusive reliance on security agencies and government institutions.

“Here in Nigeria, meaningful peace cannot rely on our security forces and government institutions alone. It requires every level of society to come together for the betterment of all,” he said.

He challenged Nigerians to reconsider their individual and collective contributions to national development, stressing that the country could not achieve a different future without a change in attitudes and institutional practices.

“Before we can Create Lasting Impact in Nigeria, we must first have the courage to change ourselves, whether we are members of Rotary or not.

“We cannot continue to do what we have always done and expect our great tree of peace to magically sprout from the ground. We must nurture our country and ourselves with all our being,” he said.

He called for a Nigeria where citizens would enjoy equal access to justice, opportunities and dignity, irrespective of their backgrounds, religious beliefs, ethnic identities or circumstances of birth.

According to him, the country’s future depends on the ability of its people to recognise their shared interests and reject divisions and violence.

“A future where differences are respected, where violence is rejected, and where we all come together, not as different groups in competition, but as Nigerians in harmony,” he said.

The Rotary chief also urged participants at the summit to translate discussions and resolutions into practical initiatives capable of producing lasting benefits for communities.

He said Rotary could contribute to peacebuilding by strengthening trust between institutions and communities, promoting public confidence and supporting initiatives that improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

“This summit is an opportunity to turn our shared commitment to peace into practical action — to take mere words and transform them into a bright future for us and all our children,” he said.

Babalola urged Rotary members across Nigeria to make peacebuilding a defining legacy of their service, adding that the success of the initiative would ultimately be measured by its impact on future generations.

“Our true measure of success is not the words we share among ourselves today, but the impact of our actions that lasts generation after generation,” he said.

In her paper, the Director of Partnerships at the Institute for Economics and Peace, Lea Prekerests, said there were two forms of peace, stressing that peace went beyond the absence of violence.

She explained that Negative Peace refers to the absence of violence or the fear of violence, while Positive Peace represents the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies.

According to her, Positive Peace is what makes peace sustainable.

Also speaking, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, called for collaboration between Rotary International and the Nigeria Police Force to strengthen partnerships between institutions and communities, government and citizens, as well as security and service.

Disu, who was represented by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Miller Dantawaye, urged stakeholders to translate the principles discussed at the summit into practical action.

“Let us work together to build communities where justice is accessible, institutions are trusted, citizens are responsible and every individual can live with dignity, security and hope. That is the foundation of lasting peace,” he said.

The IGP also proposed a joint Police-Rotary fellowship to formally commence the partnership.

“Let me therefore take the first bold step of appealing to the RI president that we jointly fix a date for the first official Police/Rotary fellowship that will be jointly presided over by the IGP and RI President to kickstart the collaboration,” he said.