57th Independence Day: Nigerian Women Harp on Peaceful co-existence, Non Violence

…Commend Ohaneze Ndigbo, Northern Elders
Ebere Chibuzor

The Nigerian women Forum for Peaceful Coexistence and Unity has called for a peaceful co-existence amongst Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion or location across the country.

The women’s group which also warned against violence of any kind commended the efforts of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and Northern Elders for helping all the regions in the country to make peace and creating conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish in Nigeria.

Senator Florence Ita-Giwa who spoke on behalf of the women group, said that, they dream to see a strong united Nigeria that is totally devoid of ethnicity, appealing that all hands should join, to begin to work in the desired ways of achieving unity in the country.

According to Ita-giwa, the group wants to see a more economically viable country and a country that can eradicate poverty, adding that once poverty is eradicated, the level of agitations from different quarters would be reduced to the barest minimum.

Speaking further, the former presidential liaison to the National Assembly who was supported by a host of women including the former Deputy of Lagos state, Alhaja Sinatu Ojukutu and Mrs. Kafilat Ogbara, appealed to Nigerians to shun the seed of discord being planted by some individuals.

Ita-Giwa said “It is important that we as women, mothers and patriots lend our voices to the many passionate voices advocating unity, peace and progress for our beloved country.”The founding members of Nigeria bequeathed a united and virile country to us,” she continued. “It is our most cherished desire and in fact our sacred duty to do same for the generation that is coming after us. We want our children and grandchildren to also have the benefit or inheriting a united and virile Nigeria”.

‘Many of us seated here were living witnesses to the horrors of the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970. Two million innocent souls were lost in that war, that also saw millions of others losing practically everything. We lost spouses, fathers, brothers and loved ones who were conscripted to fight in a war that might have been avoided if we had let good sense prevail at that time”, the senator added.
Having been a refugee during the Nigerian civil war, the senator said that war is not something anyone should encourage.

Her advocacy is coming at a time when the unity of the country is desired most with on the rising call for Biafra in the south-east and the yet-to-be-defeated insurgency of Boko-Haram in the North-East.

Emphasizing that thousands of Nigerians were displaced in the north-east with little or no means of survival, the senator said the people of Bakassi have been suffering similar fate in the past five years.

The senator who handled the affairs of the Nigeria-Cameroon border dispute and the ex-chairperson of The Bakassi Resettlement Committee further emphasized “It is important that we as women, mothers and patriots lend our voices to the many passionate voices advocating unity, peace and progress for our beloved country as we approach the 57th anniversary of our national independence.”

Responding at the meeting of Nigerian Women for Peaceful-Coexistence and Unity, the former deputy governor of Lagos state, Chief Sinatu Aderoju Ojikutu appealed to the Indigenous People Organization of Biafra (IPOB) which according to her had seized the medium to gain the confidence of many people to shun every form of violence that will disrupt the peace and unity of this nation.
“This agitation will not favour him looking at the land mark and him too will also marginalized other people because he would want an access to the sea and it is through other people’s land” Ojikutu said.
Commenting further, Ojikutu added “God has given some of us gift to convince people positively and I believe it has a lot of both external and internal backing.
“These people are the people who have the funds of this nation to their hands whether at federal level or at state level and believe that this Buhari administration will still get to them. They prefer to be chaos and war so it will be mitigated. Ojikutu also appealed to IPOB leader to shun from violence and the government to handle it with caution, explaining it has done psychological damaged and hence it has done psychological damage it is not over night and through violence you can cancel it”, she said.

Ojikutu who also appealed to international communities not to see Nigeria as its dumping ground for war wares warned “They should not bring their war wares here. Nigeria is not a destination for their war weaponry. They should empower our youths positively.” Ita-Giwa on her part said, she has not gotten involved with Nnamdi Kanu but I will tell him to remember what his people suffered during the last civil war and as a young man he should embrace the peace and unity of this country”.

Other issues discussed by the group include climate change where Ita-Giwa advocate for dredging of major water ways and planting trees; maintenance of law and order, particularly domestic violence against women and children as well as the implementation of national budget.

The group pointed out that they were not affiliated to any political party and will visit other parts of the country to spread the message

The group also called for the devolution of power and restructuring of the country, stressing that every government goes through some form of restructuring and the present administration is not an exception. Nigeria peace is non negotiable, the group concluded.