Rev. Sr. Agatha Chikelue, Executive Director of the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP), has urged the use of dialogue to overcome the country’s insecurity.
Chikelue made the call during the inauguration of 50 Fellows, nine of whom are foreigners, who comprise the sixth set of COFP on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to the cleric, Africa has faced numerous hurdles in its pursuit of peace and development.
Human rights violations, inadequate governance, social unfairness, rising fanaticism, human and drug trafficking, and food insecurity are among those she mentioned.
“Military interventions, for example, are frequently used by governments to address these problems, but they only address the symptoms rather than the root causes.”
“This is why their actions failed to put out the raging fire; instead, they heightened tensions and fueled support for violent extremism and insecurity.”
“If we truly want peace and development in Africa, we must change our erroneous approach to peacebuilding.”
“At this point, dialogue appears to be a better option that is worth trying because violence only breeds violence,” she explained.
According to the executive director, the fellowship program’s curriculum was purposefully created to provide for the intentional building and strengthening of peace.
According to Chikelue, it was meticulously created to inspire and engage participants in issues relevant to their local reality.
“The COFP Fellowship programme builds on our common humanity and shared values.”
“It empowers people in positions of authority and influence to discover their potentials and access regenerative forces in order to become more effective leaders and peace actors,” she said.
She explained that the one-year COFP Fellowship course is divided into three modules, with the programme becoming a yearly event.
According to Chikelue, it brings together 40 to 70 national and international players, leaders, and civil society organisations from across Africa.
In his remarks, COFP founder John Cardinal Onaiyekan stated that the issue of peace and security affects the entire continent and should be addressed at the continental level.
According to Onaiyekan, the foundation was rapidly growing and needed to look within for funds.
“Along the same lines, we are looking into ways to ask participants and their sponsors to accept some financial responsibility for the programme.”
“This is the obvious way to keep the programme going,” he remarked.
Mr Tony Abba, one of the new fellows, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he would focus on environmental peace.
He stated that unhealthy environmental use is a source of tension that many people do not discuss.
“I will engage and show people why caring for the environment is a recipe for long-term peace,” he stated. (NAN
