Kayode Olanrewaju As the African School of Economics (The Pan-African University of Excellence), Abuja, marked this year’s International World Peace Day, a call has gone to Nigerians and the world at large to be optimistic and embrace peace despite the chaos and confusion that are increasingly becoming the order of the day.
The call was made by the Vice Chancellor, Prof Mahfouz Adedimeji, who stressed that as dark as the horizon may be, human beings could not afford to lose hope that one day, there would be peace and justice in the world and that good would replace evil on the planet. Adedimeji, a Fellow of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice, made the call in his address, titled:
“A World Without War,” during the Special Lecture organised by the university as part of the activities marking the 2025 International Day of Peace. Meanwhile, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Mozambique, with concurrent accreditation to Swaziland, Madagascar and Mauritius, Mr Albert Omotayo, reflected on why attaining world peace is difficult now, saying that world peace may be unattainable in our lifetime.
Omotayo in his lecture: “God, Philosophy and World Peace,” delivered event, He noted that one of the reasons behind the prevalence of war today is the failure of human beings to recognise how they got to the world, even as he stressed that when man first appeared on earth, he was baffled by the expanse of all what he saw but did not understand as he realised the need to fight to guarantee his survival.
“Long after he had survived, he thought of flourishing as well. This decision, most probably, was the beginning of man’s irreversible, eternal destiny of endless struggle or fight, for survival and flourishing,” Omotayo said. He lamented the atrocities unfolding in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as the insecurity in Nigeria and attributed the violence to the belief in struggle, dominance and flourishing at the expense of others.
“Chaos is a disease that has afflicted man since the beginning of time and that curing it cannot be achieved within a predictable time frame though there is optimism that man is in the process of becoming,” he noted. Omotayo, therefore, traced the challenges that confront humanity regarding conflict and war to the beginning of creation, and stressed that the world still has a lot of work to do now to achieve world peace in future.
Subsequently, Adedimeji noted that significance of Peace Day has gained more resonance in today’s world that is being devastated and divided by war, even as he said that “we are living witnesses to racism and genocide committed with impunity as the world pretends that human lives only matter on the basis of their skin pigmentation and religious beliefs.”
Adedimeji, a Fellow of the World Institute for Peace, while alluding to the message of the United Nations Secretary General, António Gutterres to commemorate the Day: “We must silence the guns. End suffering. Build bridges. And create stability and prosperity,” however, stressed that Nigerians should remain purposeful and peaceful.
“Accordingly, the prevalence of negativity in the world won’t change individuals who refuse to allow hubris and hatred inside them,” he noted, referring also to the scenario that unfolded during the Cold War when the East Berliners threw thrash across the Berlin Wall but the West Berliners returned their action with sweets and candies thrown across the wall, with a note, “Each one gives what they have.”
The Vice-Chancellor then encouraged Nigerians to have and keep peace so that they could give it in return, and to have compassion and light so that we can illuminate the world.
The high points of the event were goodwill messages by guests, including the Assistant Director of Corps, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Raymond Yusuf and the Founder, Path to Peace Foundation, Mr Abubakar Akande, and presentation of award to Ambassador Omotayo by the VC, who was assisted by the University Registrar, Mrs Emilomo Ogunboye.
