News Investigators/ The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reassured community citizens of its unwavering commitment to the promotion of peace and security across the sub-region for unity and economic development.
ECOWAS Peace Fund Manager, Dieudonne Nikiema, made this known on Wednesday in Lagos at a peace conference organised by The Adeola Adeyemi Foundation (TAAF) in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day event with the theme: “Promoting Peaceful Coexistence: A Conflict Prevention Initiative,” aims to achieve peace through the conference, peace walk and outreach.
According to him, ECOWAS is ever ready to lend funding support to any organisation that keys into its vision and mission of promoting peace and security to engender regional development.
Mr Nikiema stressed that ECOWAS’ fundamental mission was to promote peace, security and development, hence it was very important for it to identify with initiatives that promoted across the sub-region.
“Why do we give this event such a great opportunity and importance? It is because for ECOWAS, peace is fundamental.
“As you know, without peace, there is no development, and without development, there is no peace.
“So, for ECOWAS, it is very important for us to give priority to peace and security, and so we support this kind of initiative to duplicate and continue,” he said.
Mr Nikiema noted that without peace, security, unity and harmony among community citizens, no meaningful development would take place in the sub-region.
“If we in Africa were united, there is nothing we cannot do. When you look at the different countries, even the history of Lagos, you can see that Lagos was not like this.
“So we are calling on all of you, all of us, to put heads together and see how we can do our best to get this unity, to gather our brothers and sisters, to go beyond,” he added.
Also speaking, Adeola Adeyemi, TAAF Founder, said the youth could rebuild, transform, and lead the world if only they choose peace over division, unity over hate, and love over fear.
According to her, diversity is not a weakness, but a source of strength, so the youth are carrying the singular message of peace in their hearts through the peace conference.
“Today is not just another event, it is a movement, a movement of peace, for understanding, and for co-existence.
“Peace begins with me, peace begins with you, and peace begins with us.
“Together, we can build the subregion that we dream of, safe, united, thriving, and at peace with itself,” she said.
Speaking in a keynote address on the theme of the event, the Oluwo of Iwo, Dr Abdulrasheed Akanbi, noted that cohabitation and peace are sacred, sacrosanct and non-negotiable among humans.
He identified some of the triggers of conflict, which demand urgent early intervention, as land grabbing, hate speech, intergroup suspicion, youth disenchantment, and contest over resources.
The royal father said that traditional rulers being the custodians of culture, moral exemplars and intermediaries between government and the grassroots should take the responsibility of ensuring peaceful coexistence.
“When a king speaks the language of reconciliation, it resonates widely. When a palace becomes a space where wounded hearts find redress, trust is restored.
“When tradition meets innovation through technology, youth engagement and intergroup platforms, peace making becomes dynamic, not stale.
“The maintenance of peaceful coexistence is cheaper than war, and a lasting to peaceful coexistence is not in courts or legal textbooks, but in the lived realities of ordinary people across our societies,” he added.
NAN