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We Will Not Surrender to Warmongers- Cardinal Onaiyekan
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
John Cardinal Onaiyekan, of the Catholic Church has said that those who love peace will not allow warmongers to have a free reign in the country. The cleric who spoke at the opening ceremony of the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP) 2018/2019 Fellowship Programme said, “The troublemakers will continue to do what they know how to do best that is create a situation of chaos and conflict, but those of us who believe in peace cannot keep quiet.”
He told the audience at the event with the “Inter-religious Dialogue and Mediation Certificate Programme’’ in Abuja on Tuesday that when he was young Nigerians used to take peace for granted. But said that with the prevailing tension in the land people of goodwill should be concerned for the younger generation. He said, “If we keep quiet the waves will be dominated by those who are warmongers.”
In other to prevent such a development , Onaiyekan suggested the building of “interfaith cooperation and partnership” to advance, as he said, an inclusive society. This spirit, he said , should guide participants in their daily activities. He however, said that the onus lies on the government to protect the citizenry and ensure a peaceful environment.
COFP is a Non–Governmental Organisation (NGO) established in 2O10 with the mandate to provide a platform for building and strengthening the processes of peace and social change in Nigeria and across Africa.
The fellowship programme was sponsored by GHR Foundation based in the US, other partners include Tony Blair Foundation for Global Change, VERITAS University, Islamic Education Trust among others. Blair is a former prime minister of the United Kingdom.