KADUNA – Prof. Oshita Oshita, the Director-General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolutions (IPCR), said on Friday that dialogue remained the best option to achieving peace in any country
Oshita said this in Kaduna during a stakeholders forum on peaceful 2015 elections.
The dialogue was organised by the institute in partnership with UN Development Programme and other development partners.
Oshita was represented at the event by the Mr Emmanuel Mamman, Deputy Director, Research and Policy Analysis in the institute.
“Those who want to destroy this country won’t succeed. So we are telling ourselves to be peaceful because there’s no alternative to peace.
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“This dialogue is to sensitise one another on the need to identify likely causes of electoral conflict in each state of the country and how we can prevent them.
“We are identifying individuals and agencies that can be instrumental to the achievement of free, fair and credible elections in the states and country at large.
“The dialogue is to appeal to our collective conscience to see how things can be done in a better way in this country”, he said.
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Hajia Sa’adatu Kashim, Kano State head of Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) said as mothers members of the association would always support any effort that would promote peace nationwide.
Kashim said members of the association had been sensitising their husbands, children and other relations on the need to shun violence and embrace dialogue.
“When we go back to Kano, we will organise a peaceful rally from the Emir’s Palace to the Government House to sensitise the people on violence-free 2015 elections.
Dr Ayuba Umar, who represented Yakamata Development Initiative, Sokoto, a civil society organisation, called on the citizenry to resist being used by politicians to perpetuate violence.
Mrs Rose Opawoye, who spoke on behalf of Inter-Faith Forum of Muslim and Christian Women Groups, Kaduna State, said the forum had embarked on series of campaigns to raise awareness on violence-free elections.
“Women are, by their nature, mothers and custodian of the culture if peace. When we interact, we sensitise each other to the need for non-violence. We take the message down to the grassroots.
“We held interactive sessions for Imams and Pastors who take the message back to their followers.
“The religious leaders are very powerful; they can incite or quench violence though their preaching,” she said. (NAN)