(Press Release)As part of this year’s global celebration of peace with the theme, ‘Rights of People to Peace,’ which is observed annually on September 21 as an international Day of Peace, Nigeria’s First Lady and President of African First Ladies Peace Mission, Dame Patience Jonathan, has called for concerted efforts on peace.
She enjoined African leaders to imbibe the African spirit of conflict resolution, dialogue and peace building mechanisms so as to bring an enduring development to the continent.
She alluded to the fact that, Africa devoid of violence, terrorism and war will have been the most developed continent in the global arena due to its abundant natural resources.
Dame Jonathan exhorted her sisters – other African First Ladies – to support their spouses in changing the fortunes of Africa by being change agents of transformational development and good governance, ultimately leading to the stoppage of incessant violence that pervades the African region.
She echoed that no meaningful growth can be achieved without peace and that henceforth; Africa should reject the divisive tendencies and imbibe the African culture of being our brother’s keeper, peace advocates and nation builders instead of the wanton destruction that has taken over the region.
Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele,Media Adviser to the First Lady quoted her as having said “.. September 21 marks a memorial day set aside for peace and not absence of war, such as might be occasioned by a temporary cease-fire in a combat zone or situation. We want real peace to reign in Africa.”
Mrs. Jonathan extolled the virtues of the founding fathers of Africa and wishes “Africans in general, prosperity on matters of social, political and economic welfare, including the establishment of equality and a working political order that is transparent and serves the interest of the continent.”
She explored this year’s campaign, saying, as Mama Peace, she has a “right to peace, just as we, as Africans, also have a right to peaceful co-existence, and for there to be real development in any nation, the peace must be an enduring one.”
