ABUJA – Archbishop Daniel Okoh, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has urged for a coordinated effort to promote peace in Nigeria.
Speaking at the Gideon & Para-Mallam Peace Foundation’s Church and Mission Leaders’ Summit in Abuja on Monday, Okoh underlined the importance of social cohesion in the country, taking into account the country’s multi-cultural, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic backgrounds.
Bishops, pastors, and other Christian leaders from around the country were among those who attended the summit.
The CAN President emphasized the importance of the church and other religious organizations in fostering peace and unity in Nigeria in his keynote address.
“We must not only profess peace with our mouth, we must be intentional about it by avoiding landmines, provocative actions, ethnic profiling and statements that are likely to truncate the peace process.
“This was the path Rwanda adopted after a devastating and horrendous genocide that killed an estimated eight hundred thousand of their nationals within three months,” he said
He also called for the government to take proactive measures towards addressing the root causes of conflict in the country.
Archbishop Okoh added, “Until leadership is accepted as service to the nation and mankind and not the opportunity for personal wealth or enrichment; until Nigeria experiences leadership that makes citizenry central to development and first in the affairs of the nation; Nigeria shall remain on the same spot and the people live in penury for many generations to come.
“Once the people are poor and marginalized, there can be no sustainable peace or development.”
Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam, the founder and Executive Director of the Gideon & Para-Mallam Peace Foundation, in his opening remarks at the summit, said the summit was organized to provide a platform for dialogue and collaboration towards promoting peace and reconciliation in Nigeria.
He said, “Sustainable peace in Nigeria is never to be taken for granted. The responsibility lies with us (clerics) to provide the much-needed guidance and direction.
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“We must take cognizance of our contextual reality. We need to acknowledge that Nigeria is multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.”
Para-Mallam thanked Archbishop Okoh and all the participants for their contributions towards promoting peace in the country.
During the summit, various church and mission leaders shared their experiences and strategies for promoting peace and reconciliation in their respective communities.
The participants also discussed ways to collaborate with the government and other stakeholders towards achieving lasting peace in Nigeria.
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