Letters

Panacea for peace, good governance in Nigeria

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7 years ago

NIGERIANS who were at a parley on the peaceful coexistence in Nigeria at the weekend must have gone back to their homes with purified minds to be good citizens and ambassadors of peace in their societies. The stage was overwhelmed by the lecture of the Secretary-General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, titled: “Achieving peace, stability and good governance in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation: The Islamic perspective.

It was a mixture of spiritual reawakening, heart stimulation and philosophical connotation to convince the audience on the maintenance of peace in Nigeria. Peace, to him, is not the absence of war, but a situation where people are able to resolve their conflicts without violence and can work together to improve the quality of their lives.

Nigerians should work hard together for a peaceful nation where every citizen lives in safety, without fear or threat of violence. No law tolerates violence. There should be equality and justice for all. The rights of Nigerian citizens must be protected.

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However, peace requires that everyone participates in shaping political decisions. The government must be accountable to the people. Peace, logically, requires that every citizen has fair and equal access to the basic needs of life such as food, clean water, shelter, education, healthcare and a decent living environment; everyone has an equal opportunity to work and make a legitimate living, regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other aspect of identity. Peace, the don maintained, is the totality of condition of well-being felt by individuals, groups and the society at large.

There must be unity of purpose as well as truth and justice for national development. Public officers must be sincere and honest, fair and just in the discharge of their public trust. Religious leaders should realise that devilish tactics are not compatible with religious responsibilities and the media must be objective, analytical and patriotic in the discharge of their watchdog and agenda-setting responsibilities.