The Institute of Global Peace and Conflict Management has urged its newly inducted members to become active ambassadors of peace or risk contributing to the nation’s growing climate of conflict.
The Lagos State Chairman of the institute, Dr Kenneth Rafua, issued the charge on Saturday during the induction of 37 new members in Lagos.
In a statement on Monday after its just concluded induction ceremony, Rafua admonished the newly inducted members to be good ambassadors of the institute and urged them to attend more than 60 per cent of the institute, which he said their readmission to other levels will be subjected to.
Representing the National President of the institute, Rafua, charged the newly inducted members to follow what the institute requires of them, such as patience and tolerance, saying that they must also preach peace everywhere they go.
Speaking about the institute’s response to conflicts, he said conflicts are not only about fighting others, but that they encompass everything, even in homes.
Rafua revealed that the institute is tackling most of the conflicts currently faced in the country.
He said, “We are working with certified government agencies, and we give them ideas on how we can curb this menace that is trying to tear our country apart.
But you see, the problem we have here, first of all, is that we need to ask ourselves, do I have peace in myself? If I have peace, I’ll be able to relate to the next person, and with that, there will be no crisis.
“So the major point here is, get yourself peaceful, understand the fact that you have to be tolerant and be patient.
“Once you are tolerant and patient, you’ll be able to resolve issues without allowing them to lead to punching or other forms of violence”
The conflict scholar emphasised the need for the members to always preach peace from their homes, adding that if they have peace in their homes, they would be able to exhibit peace anywhere they go.
Talking about steps being taking to preach peace and for everyone to live in harmony, Rafua stated that the organization is partnering with the Lagos State government to ensure that “the gospel of peace is shared across every nook and cranny of the state by visiting homes, going to schools to catch them young, teaching the children reasons to enable peace anywhere they go, and they would exhibit the peace and it will become part of them as they grow up.”
The induction also saw the National President of the Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria, Prince Sina Bilesanmi, conferred with a fellow member, a certified global peace ambassador, with two years of professional licensing as a global peace diplomat of the institute’s Lagos state chapter due to his leadership role and peacebuilding in telecom sector advocacy.
The induction ceremony also witnessed the chairman inducting nine doctoral fellows, six distinguished fellows, and two research fellows.
Others are 13 fellow members, one senior member, three full members, three associate members, and one affiliate member.
