Participants at a walk to commemorate the International peace day.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – Citizens of Plateau State have been urged to be deliberate in imbibing the culture of peace and allow it to reflect in all aspects of life so that development can thrive in the State.
The charge was given when stakeholders marched through the streets of Jos, the State capital, to spread the message of peace in commemoration of the 2024 International Day of Peace with the theme: Cultivating a Culture of Peace, organized by the UN Women in collaboration with other partners.
Charging the citizens, Dara Gyang Dudu, who represented the HeforShe, Nene Dung, who represented the Media Network of the UN Women-led Women, Peace, and Security, WPS, and Grace Gora of the Women Mediators Network urged an end to all forms of show-off on international days and called for genuine peace in communities.
Dudu said, “We appreciate everyone who joined us in this Peace Walk. We seek peace and the absence of crisis because, without it, there will be poverty. When you are talking about fighting poverty, the first thing you should fight is insecurity.
“And we have seen a period of insecurity on the Plateau. But today, we want to appreciate God for restoring peace to us. Today, as we come together, irrespective of tribe or religion, we have pushed one factor, and that factor is peace.
“We need peace in the land, we need peace in our hearts to coexist. So, we also pray that there will be peace in everybody’s homes and hearts. God will see us through, and we shall gather to celebrate another year of peace.
“Cultivating the culture of peace is something you do deliberately. It is not the lip service kind of thing. It’s not all about showmanship. It is more than that. It is loving one another and allowing peace to reign in our midst.”
Dung added, “We are using this opportunity to mark the International Day of Peace. Combined here today are the UN Women WPS structures made up of the WPS Media Network, the He-for-She Network, and the Women Mediators Network.
“The reason for organizing the event is to join the rest of the world to mark the Day of Peace. And we all know that without peace, no meaningful development can be achieved. Our State has suffered in the past years with crises in the different local governments.
“And that is why we have come together under the umbrella of the UN Women to mark this day and to say to Plateau people that there is nothing that can be achieved without peace. We must live together as brothers and sisters. We must do away with mutual suspicions because if we don’t have peace, there will be no Plateau State.”
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Gora stressed, “Let’s join hands together to work for peace and ensure that peace reigns. Peace should guide our utterances and everything we do. As we observe this International Peace Day, we pray that may peace reign in our lives, in our families, and our State.
“Let it be anywhere you are found, whether in the church, in the mosque, in your area, in your family, they should know that you are the one that carries peace. If people are looking for peace, they should look for you. Let us make peace our culture.”
The participants in the walk cut across all shades of affiliations.
