PRESS RELEASE - Peace Concerns Everyone
Good morning Ladies and
Gentlemen of the Fourth Realm of the Estate.
All other protocols observed:
A Programme such as the Nigerian Peace Awards
and Concert, cannot be the success we seek unless Members of the Fourth Realm
of the Estate are fully informed and agree to take a stand for peace. This is
what informed this meeting today.
Nigeria Peace Awards and Concert is designed to
become not only the flagship of awards for peace but to become the
"biggest and most influential award for peace event and concert in
Nigeria" it is a melting pot for those driving peace initiatives in its
entirety and from every known facet to bring about peace, love and unity to our
nation.
We Are The Peace We Seek
"Peace lies not in the external world.
It lies within one's own soul.
-RALPH WALDO TRINE
Never has inner peace and brotherly love seemed
further from human lives than now! We have all become restless in our
pursuit of so many benefits of life to the extent we all have the word
"hurry" stamped on our national face, now reflected even in our
personal names. If you say Nigeria in a committee of other nations, they see
you immediately as a man or a woman in a hurry- Pat Utomi once said that
Nigeria is such in a hurry that it so quickly dresses up with no where to go!
Such is a hurry that has characterised our national life to the relegation of
peace.
It makes no difference how long we have pursued
peace in our personal creed or political inclination, peace will elude us if we
have not learned to trust God and not afraid how to live through our days. John
Herman Randall warns that as long as we are still worried about things or people,
if we continue to dread the future of possible sickness or old age...
"...if we cannot see beyond the shadows of
death,
'the light that never was on land or sea'-
then, whatever faith may be to others it is
quite
meaningless for us;
for faith that saves is the faith that develops
in us
the consciousness of God, and when we know that,
we know peace."
The consciousness of God is in his works, and
consciously, Nigerians are a hardworking people as exemplified by our nominees,
this consciousness mean to us the organizers to recognize peace heroes of our
time. For in the recognition of our fellow men who have made indelible,
unforgettable contribution to peace, we believe will engender peace and
proliferate peace related activities to a point where it becomes a national
lifestyle.
The Owele of Onitsha, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the
"Zik of Africa" once said that the problem of Africa is her lack of
enthusiasm in celebrating their homegrown heroes... This initiative, the
Nigerian Peace Awards and Concert is deliberately sculptured to fill this
yawning gap in our nation quest to bring lasting peace for all. What with the
issue of insurgents, suicide merchants, the age long menace of "Fulani
Herdsmen", the bitting economic realities and the search for lasting peace
in the Niger-Delta and other known threat to national peace and security, this
suggest we must all contribute to a harmonious co-existence.
This programme is coming at a time where peace
is the only menu on our table, the only agenda worth the discuss as a nation.
Riding on the theme: Give Peace A Chance, the programme will be spiced by
musical concert for peace by peace minded artiste. The event which is designed
by the BEgroup Professionals, a body of individuals made up of heads of
corporate firms working for posterity is anchored by Recreate Nigeria
Limited a registered company with the CAC, working alongside other corporate
organizations, stakeholders, the media particularly, the publics and government
agencies, will be giving out 24Awards to persons, group and corporations who
are standing for peace from yesterday, today and tomorrow.
The event which will hold at the Transcorp
Hilton, Abuja, will host only 200 audience that will be admitted into the hall
strictly on invitation. The Keynote Address will be delivered by a foremost
Motivational Speaker in Nigeria based in Lagos, Joel Oni, - TMM.
We wish like Orits Williki, to one day say of
our nation: "Peace Has Returned. Peace Atlast!"
