BCS Concludes Week Long Peace March In Enugu, …..Insists South East Must Embrace Love, Peace

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Enugu, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – A religious organization, the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star (BCS) Sunday concluded its 7-day International Peace Conference held in Enugu, with a declaration that peace, love, forgiveness and total reconciliation remains the panacea for the development of the South East region.

It said with the conference, peace has come to the area, saying the people have “no option than to embrace peace and speak with one voice.

The BCS added that if only Ndigbo would embrace peace, love, forgiveness and reconcile within themselves as well as with every other people they might have wronged or those that offended Ndigbo in the past, such uncommon gesture would be a good strategy in actualizing their ambition in Nigeria and having whatever is due to them.

“Rethinking Global Peace Approaches,”was the theme of the international conference which was part of the numerous activities that marked the 15th edition of the Evangelical Peace March of the Association of Brotherhood Academic Scholars (ABAS) International which commenced on 1st and ended on 7th March.

Several scholars who delivered researched papers, focused on the fact that peace has almost always remained elusive in the zone, the entire country, and in fact, globally because human beings have neglected God in their fruitless search for peace.

In his presentation, Senator Bw Degi, representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, said: “Talking about peace and stability of human society, I have come to realize that the statement that ‘a people will always get the type of leadership they deserve’ is very correct.

“The Brotherhood of the Cross and Star has organized this peace march to preach peace and to ensure that peace reigns, but it’s left for the rest of the world to rethink and embrace peace and love as these are the things that will heal the world in line with the teachings of our leader, Olumba Olumba Obu who has always said that peace has no alternative.

The lawmaker stressed that “If we want the right leadership, we have to come together and decide the right leadership to put into office.

He however, advised Nigerians to always shun leaders who promote violence and loot the nation’s wealth, rather than youths emulating bad leaders as their role model.

“You cannot make omelets without breaking eggs. Let us not promote bad leaders. Let us not celebrate bad leadership because if something is bad, it’s bad.

In his paper entitled, “Olumba: The Giver of Enduring and Sustainable Peace,” ArchBishop David Irefin recalled how different man-made approaches for peace and justice – such as conflict transformation, conflict resolution, peace-keeping, peace-making, peace-building, peace-movement – have failed to give mankind the desired results.

“Over the years, a close examination of the outcomes of these approaches produced inefficient and ineffective peace settlement.

He told the huge audience that “Today, Olumba is reminding the Igbo nation, all the people of Nigeria and the entire human family, that they are all children of God.

“As children of God, we are not to hate, be angry, plan evil, tell lies, cheat or trouble makers..

An Islamic scholar, Mansur Salis Nayashi, in his paper entitled, “An Islamic Approach To Peace And Development, Addressing The Challenges of Igbo Nation,” said that the marginalization of Igbo nation in Nigeria has undoubtedly attracted the attention of many researchers and policy makers, politicians, adding that the marginalization is recurring phenomenon most especially in socio-political life of Igbo people.

“The Igbo challenges became severe precisely after the civil war in 1967-1970. Ever since the end of the civil war, all the efforts made by Nigerian state to reconcile, reintegrate and fully accommodate the Igbo people into the general scheme of things in post-civil war in Nigeria through 3R (Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation) by General Yakubu Gowon did not produce desired result” he recalled.

In his remark, Spokesman of BCS, Elder Edet Archibong advised Nigerians to drop quest for materialism to achieve peace .

Archibong, who is a patriarch in BSC, said that unbridled quest for material things and gains had made many Nigerians impatient and they have resorted to taking the “short-cut, destructive and violent part of life’’.

“The high insecurity, injustice, marginalisation and man inhumanity to man we see or pass through today in our country is due to impatient.

“Some of us are so impatient and so greed that we do not take notice or have feeling to what is happening to others within our neighbourhoods, communities, states and even country.

“However, today, God Almighty is calling on us to make a reverse; take it easy and be our brothers’ keeper in words and action; so that all things that promote violence and strife can be stopped.

“Then, life will be peaceful and quiet for all. Since peace benefit all the same time but greed and quest for materialism only benefit a handful of persons,’’ he said.