Wolugbom
Nigeria’s National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Tuesday urged security agencies, traditional rulers, leaders of faith-based organisations and other stakeholders to partner with the agency on peace building in Rivers.
Mr. Oliver Wolugbom, the State Director of NOA made the call at the 16th NOA Round Table tagged “Peace Building: The Need to Create Security Awareness among Citizens” in Port Harcourt.
Wolugbom said that the aim of the conference was to enable the peace-building programme of NOA to trickle down to the grassroots level and ensure an all-inclusive participation.
According to him NOA has the mandate to promote peace and carry out advocacy sensitization among citizenry as highlighted by the Director General of NOA.
“The participants from different agencies, ministries and professional bodies deliberated on issues and factors that make peace to be far from the state and come up with resolutions to enable peace reign in Rivers. We had different views and suggestions on what will bring lasting peace in our state.We deliberated extensively on what, the security agencies, professional bodies, parents, religious leaders among others should do to bring back peace in our States and country,” he said.
Participants at the one-day forum included security agencies, professional bodies, opinion leaders, Ministries Department Agencies and media practitioner
A communique drawn from the conference by participants resolved that peace and security were essential for sustainable development in the society.
The communique also called for aggressive value reorientation and attitudinal change to promote peace at all levels.
It urged government to build policies and structures that will promote peace in various communities to sustain peace and security in the state.
According to the communique security agencies should build trust and confidence of the people, remain nonpartisan and continue to intensify and sustain the synergy with other agencies in Rivers.
“There should be reorientation on core values to our beginning with family structures. Traditional rulers should play a serious role in peace building in various communities,’’ it stated.
It also urged Churches and Mosques to emphasise more on moral values than prosperity teachings.
The communique also urged that Civic education should be very important in our education system.
The participants also advised what they called the two state gladiators to reconcile and make peace among themselves and ensure peace in Rivers State.
They urged that traditional form of Justice should be used by elder statesmen to quell conflicts among political gladiators in the state.
According to the communique NOA should intensify its sensitisation and engagements at the village and community levels to curb violence in the state.
“There is need to create greater awareness of the role of drug addiction in catalysing criminal activities in the state,’’ it stated.
The communique also stressed the need to create greater awareness of the role of drug addiction in catalysing criminal activities in the state.
It called for proper funding of the NDLEA to carry out its legitimate assignment.
Discussants at the occasion included Retired Col. Chinedu Owhonda (Rtd),Commander 56 signals Brigade, Brigadier Monsuru Sanusi, representing Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division Nigeria Army and Mr Emmanuel Ogbumgbada, representative of Rachael Shelleng, the NDLEA Rivers State Commandant.
Others were Mr Victor Ohaji, the Chairman of Diobu Vigilante Group, Prof. Joyce Akaninwor, professor of Nutritional Biochemistry, University of Port Harcourt.
The communique was signed by the Chairman of the forum Prof. Nlerum Okogbule, the Dean Faculty of Law, Rivers State University and Wolugbom, the State Director NOA.
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