The Director-General, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Golwa has said what Nigeria needs in the polity is consistent education and sensitization that will bring back respect to our cherished traditions and that traditional rulers stand a better chance do so as the country works toward addressing the current insecurity situation.
This was contained in his goodwill message at the opening ceremony of the 2-Day National Workshop on “Culture, Peace and National Security: The Role of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria’s Democracy,” organized by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), in collaboration with UNESCO, at the Arewa House, Kaduna, Kaduna State on Monday, 26th May, 2014.
Golwa, who commended the conference initiative, saying it could not have come at a better time than now considering the fact that the issues lined up for discussion would in no small measure look at the role of traditional rulers as a special group of people whose role in the society has been from time immemorial, lamented that people are living in a society today where traditional institutions are no longer respected and the values and ethics of the culture of the people no longer in place.
His words: “Today traditional rulers are equally victims of insecurity. For the first time, we are having traditional rulers being attacked by insurgents, which has never been before in our history. Today, we have the same people that are equally victims of this insecurity and the issue of giving them greater opportunity to discuss and be involved in how they can bring peace. I therefore consider this a very wonderful moment.”
He however prayed that the conference should come out with resolutions that will be a strong source of encouragement to the traditional institutions to play their role effectively.
Speaking in the same vein, the Director-General, Centre for Management Development (CMD), Lagos, Dr. Kabir Usman said our traditional rulers were leaders who were not only appointed but anointed by God and they must be respected as such, and that the issue of culture, peace and national security was the only thing that could give Nigeria an identity as a nation, saying, “in unity we stand but divided we fall.”
According to him, the conference has achieved national integration as exemplified by the collaboration and partnerships through the able leadership of NICO’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, by bringing other agencies of government together to sing the same song of culture, politics, democracy, ethics, values, norms, traditions, and morality, stressing that it is what brings about integration, peace and tranquility.
While pointing to the fact that the paradigm shift in the country where the South is beefing the North and the West is beefing the East leaves us with no other option than to engage in value orientations that would bring us knowledge, tolerance, wisdom, respect and integrity.
He said we can only attain improved economic growth and development if we are united as a nation stating that with respect to diversity, we can achieve anything in Nigeria and that it is only peace that can be used to achieve it.
Caleb Nor
Corporate Affairs
NICO, Abuja