Christianah Alade/ Adetutu Adekanmbi/Rasheedat Mufutau(Interns)
The Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP), Ogun State Chapter, on Monday joined rest of the world to mark International Day of Peace, with a call for deliberate investment in peace, stressing that peaceful societies are built through everyday decisions and responsible actions at the family, school and governance levels.
Penpushing reports that the ceremony was held at Olusegun Osoba Hall, at Iwe-Iroyin Press Centre, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta which involved participation of stakeholders including students from various secondary schools
The International Day of Peace, declared by the United Nations, is observed annually to strengthen the ideals of peace and non-violence, while this year’s theme emphasizes the need for collective action to build a more peaceful world.
Penpushing further reports that the event, held with the theme, “Invest in Peace,” brought together academics, peace practitioners, human rights advocates, security representatives and other stakeholders to discuss the importance of peacebuilding and peaceful coexistence.
The stakeholders pointed out that every other things have alternative but peace doesn’t have, explaining that peace is not just the absence of gunshots, but it is about justice, tolerance, inclusion and dialogue, adding that investing in peace, is investing in children, businesses and future
Penpushing also reports that speaking during the panel session, a Chief Lecturer at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Dr Olalekan Oketokun, said effective investment in peace and security depended largely on the quality and commitment of people entrusted with leadership.
The panelist noted that corruption and other societal problems could undermine resources meant for peace and security, stressing that both government and citizens had responsibilities in building a peaceful society.
“I believe that what we need is a government and a people that love each other and are interested in the welfare of the society because both have roles to play in investing in peace,” he said.
Penpushing reports that Programme Leader, Institute of Communication and General Studies, Prof. Tope Olaifa, illustrated the importance of individual decisions in peacebuilding with an experience from her secondary school days in 1975.
The Programme leader recalled that while preparing for her West African School Certificate Examination (WAEC), she and a friend discovered examination answers written on a desk belonging to a student who intended to use them to cheat.
Penpushing further reports that she said rather than allowing the material to remain available for examination malpractice, she persuaded her friend to move the desk to a junior class, thereby preventing the student from accessing the answers.
The Institute of Communication and General Studies boss, said the decision went beyond preventing one student from cheating, as allowing the malpractice could have exposed other students and the school to serious consequences.
“Peace building is making decisions that will prevent conflicts, that will prevent a whole generation or school from destruction without being told and that is what I and my friend did,” she said.
Penpushing also reports that the academic urged young people to choose friends who would encourage them to make decisions that promote peace and discourage actions capable of creating conflict.
The woman said her experience taught her that peacebuilding does not always require major interventions, but can begin with seemingly small decisions capable of preventing larger problems.
Penpushing reports that in a goodwill message, Commander So-Safe Corps, Dr Soji Ganzallo said the cost of maintaining peace was considerably lower than the consequences of war and conflict.
The Commander represented by Kolawole Oyegunle, pointed out that crime, misunderstanding and conflict were interconnected, stressing that peace must first be cultivated within the family before it could be sustained in the wider society.
“There’s no way we want to talk about Peace and we won’t talk of crime and when we talk about crime there will be conflict and misunderstanding. There’s no how a community or society can be out of crime, for us to go out of crime we need Peace’, he added
Penpushing further reports that Ganzallo urged parents to teach children values that would help them relate peacefully with others, noting that lessons learnt at home could influence how individuals interact within their communities.
The keynote lecture, titled “Investing in Peace: The Role of Security Agencies, Government, Communities and Citizens, was delivered by Prof. Sola Arulogun, Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Abeokuta.
Penpushing also reports that he pointed out the need for early warning mechanisms, intelligence gathering and community engagement in preventing conflict, and stressed the importance of strengthening security agencies through proper resource allocation and effective collaboration between the government, security agencies and communities to promote sustainable peace.
The paper focused on the importance of investing in peace and the responsibilities of different sectors of society in maintaining a peaceful environment, as well as role of the community, family, church, traditional festival, mosque in preaching peace.
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