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Annual Assembly of Ambassadors for Peace in Southwestern Nigeria
Written by Dr. Raphael Ogar Oko, Secretary General, UPF-Nigeria
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Lagos, Nigeria - The Lagos State chapter of UPF-Nigeria hosted the South-West Zonal Annual General Assembly of Ambassadors for Peace at the Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos state on Nov. 19, 2014. The assembly featured the UPF Lagos chapter’s eighth annual conference on the theme of “The Right of Peoples to Peace.”
Over 100 Ambassadors for Peace from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states attended the event, which featured keynote presentations by Chief Segun Odegbami, MON, a motivational speaker and former international soccer player with the Nigeria national football team, and Prof. Oluyemi Pitan, the Osun state director of the National Open University of Nigeria in Oshogbo.
Dr. George C. Ikpot, director of UPF Nigeria’s office of International affairs, delivered the special message by Dr. Raphael Oko, secretary general of UPF-Nigeria, and reported the activities of the UPF in 2014 as well as the plans for 2015. Bishop Abiodun Olugebnro, chairman of UPF in Lagos state, gave the opening remarks while Rev. Imoh Nkanta, zonal coordinator of UPF in Lagos state, delivered the welcome address. HRM Oba Gbolahan Akanbi Tinson, paramount ruler of Shomolu-Bariga in Lagos state, shared his experiences as an Ambassador for Peace who has aspired to live by the UPF principles of peace. He testified to the outstanding lifestyle of the UPF founders and concluded that “participants should take the activities of UPF seriously as this is the most substantial way to build sustainable peace in our nation and the world.”
Chief Segun Odegbami spoke on the responsibility of people for peace. In his presentation, he urged participants not to be carried away by the provision of human rights for peace without also taking seriously the issue of human responsibility for peace. “We all have the right to live in peace and engage in peaceful businesses and activities. These rights do not come by chance but by each of us taking responsibility for peace. If we desire to live in peace, we must take responsibility for living in peace.”
Earlier, Prof. Oluyemi Pitan of the National Open University of Nigeria spoke on the right of peoples to peace, commending the United Nations for focusing the 2014 International Day of Peace theme on rights to peace. She emphasized the need for Ambassadors for Peace to become active citizens and leaders who can facilitate the achievement of the universal rights of peoples to peace. “As Ambassadors for Peace, we are the heavenly citizens on earth who should bring about a new world of peace where everyone without exception has the right to be born in peace, live in peace, grow in peace and even die in peace in order to rest in peace eternally. It is our right and we should just do the right things to bring about such a world now,” she said in her presentation.
The UPF-Nigeria secretary general’s message to the assembly focused on the UPF founders’ address at the International Leadership conference in February 2014, in which Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon spoke passionately about what we should focus on at this time. The message also drew the attention of the Ambassadors for Peace to the core focus of UPF-Nigeria’s work toward to promote interreligious harmony and cooperation, the integration of diverse ethnic nationalities through marriage and family, and the development and utilization of resources in Nigeria for the sake of peace. In addition, the UPF-Nigeria secretary general said:
“We are living in the most precious time in the history of the world and our nation. The age we live in now has never come before and may never come again. We are therefore fortunate to be born and to be alive at this special time. We are a people that so much has been given to and much more is expected of us. As Ambassadors for Peace in Nigeria, we must wake up to the reality of the challenges that our country is facing. In a few months from now, we shall be faced with the challenges of general elections, which will bring in leaders who will guide our nation in the important era from 2015–2019. As we all know already, the contest will be very serious. Some will emerge as winners while others will be losers. Our greatest concern should be how to respond to the challenges that come in the conduct of the elections and what will trail the announcements of election results in 2015. We should be prepared to guide our political leaders to look beyond personal interest and ensure that winners and losers work together for the sake of national peace and unification. I do hope that we can appeal to our political leaders to move away from seeing each other as enemies but to regard all candidates as brothers and sisters offering to serve the members of the Nigerian family.”
Participants commended UPF for all the efforts in 2014 and deliberated on the activities of UPF-Nigeria in 2015. The issue of promotion of interreligious harmony and cooperation was paramount in the deliberations, which also considered programs to promote peaceful marriages and family-building among Ambassadors for Peace and their children. Also discussed was the role of Ambassadors for Peace in the Nigeria general elections in 2015 as well as the National Unification campaign 2014 – 2020. Participants have expressed their determination to make a stronger commitment to the programs of UPF in 2015 to ensure that Nigeria remains a united and peaceful nation.
Some of the Ambassadors for Peace will be attending the Dec. 12 National Unification Summit, which will launch the 120 Couples for Peace program and promote the 2015 International Peace Blessing program.
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