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| The Dimension of Peace and Role of the Media in Peacebuilding Nigeria 2007 General Elections Being the Speech Sent to Occasion of the Presentation of Peace Award To High Chief Raymond Aleogo Dokpesi on February 9, 2007 By Reverend Titus K. Oyeyemi, President and CEO African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives Beginning with the 25th International Day of Peace on September 21, 2006, African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives added a new dimension to its proactive grassroots Peacebuilding efforts and peaceful elections in Nigeria, a task which the organization begun since its inception in 2003. On April 16, 17, and 18, 2003 AFPLI rallied for peaceful Nigeria 2003 Elections and we were proud to have continued our activities once again for the peaceful Nigeria 2007 elections. Year 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the start of the Nigerian four year civil war (1967- 1970). Many of us who were of age in 1967 and who are still privileged to be alive today can tell the Nigerian story, not merely by intellectualizing what happened in those 40 years, but experientially and with an empathy on how we could create both a cultural and a nuclear fusion which could move our country forward. Realizing how crucial the peaceful Nigeria 2007 elections are to the future prosperity of Nigeria, we have brought members of our African Children of Peace Clubs to your Excellency, high chief Raymond Aleogo Dokpesi, so that these Nigerian leaders of tomorrow could, through your media house, the DAAR Communications, African International Television, and the Ray Power, demand a peaceful tomorrow from the Nigerian leaders of today. As you will see in the children’s presentation, the goal and objective of AFPLI is to encourage Ethnoreligious Harmony and Proactive Grassroots Peacebuilding in Africa in general and in Nigeria in particular for the peaceful Nigeria 2007 elections. The drama, our peace anthem, and our nation Peacebuilding song, which our children will present to you today are enough for the wise to realize that the time has come to move beyond rhetoric and mere intellectual debates, but for Nigerians to see the issues with their hearts and empathize with our situation and to take our destiny in our hands for a greater, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria of tomorrow. As we search for new leaders in the coming 2007 General Elections, let us pray to the Lord, with purified lips and sanctified hearts, that the Lord will give us national leaders and not just tribal leaders. Let us stand up, shoulder to shoulder, as a one people with one destiny, with no sacralization of tribes or instrumentalization of religions, but as a people equal before God, to petition the Throne of Grace (not the throne of mammon) for a godly President and Commander In Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come April 2007. Let us serve God by collectively serving Nigeria. What Nigeria needs is both a cultural and nuclear fusion. We have come to challenge the Nigeria media practitioners to take their work of nation building seriously. By saying the truth and reporting the truth, the media houses can use the power of the truth to turn Nigeria around for the better of the future generations yet unborn. The news media and popular media such as music and films are important in a nation such as Nigeria where a very little percentage read professional and intellectual reports. We want the media houses public and private to call on Nigerians to arise as one troop, not as tribal militias or as warlords, to fight tribal hatred and religious intolerance, which like cankerworms, are destroying the basis of our existence as a people and a nation. Let us collectively fight tribalism, cronyism, corruption, complacency, and terrorism, in all their ramifications. With God’s generous gift of oil to Nigeria, wealth and human resources, the most populous nation in Africa, the political strength of 36 States, 519 Local Governments, uncountable professionals and experts, community and religious leaders, and our endowment of royal and traditional rulers, let us collectively destroy the bane of “bad leadership” and cleanse ourselves of the “reproaches of corruption and wickedness” in both the low and high places. Let us elect a new Head of State, who shall be the man of peace, let us together fight to eradicate from our country corruption, poverty, desolation, famine, HIV/AIDS, hunger, sicknesses, hatred, violence, war and disunity, electricity outages, unmotorable roads, street, gang, cult and political violence. According to Bernard Haring, “the dimension of peace belongs to all parts of social ethics, medical ethics, ecological responsibility, socio-economic life, and particularly to the ethics of politics, the goal of which is a truthful politics of peace, of co-operation for a healthy public opinion, and indeed to all facets of human life.” At AFPLI, our founding vision is to promote Africa, the Future Land of Peace. We promote youth and community peace for nation building in Nigeria through our structured education for peace (SEP) and socio-cultural adjustment programs (SAP). May the envies of the Igbos depart, may the Hausa not longer vex the Igbos; may the adversaries of the Yorubas be cut off. May the legacy of violence and hatred disappear from Nigeria; may the legacy of peace and love come in its place! I used this occasion to call for the support of all Nigerians of walks of life, especially the media owners, companies and businesses to support AFPLI efforts to promote Ethnoreligious Harmony and Proactive Peacebuilding in Nigeria in particular and in African in general. “Blessed are those who labor for peace in Africa, for they shall put the enemy of humanity to shame.” I wish you happy peace and solidarity rally/honors award. LONG LIVE NIGERIA, LONG LIVE AIT, LONG LIVE AFPLI God bless you. Peace. Shalom. KAYERO! Reverend Titus K. Oyeyemi President/CEO African Projects (Foundation) for Peace and Love Initiatives TimeOn KAIROS Peace Academy Email: admin@africanprojectsforpeace.org; Website: http://www.africanprojectsforpeace.org |
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