Following the persistent leadership crisis rocking Awka, the capital city of Anambra State over who becomes the President General of the community, the State Governor, Charles Soludo, has urged the indigenes in particular and the leaders, in general, to make peace their watchword in order to achieve the feat.
Soludo stated this while declaring open, a stakeholders summit, organised by the Awka Development Union Nigeria (ADUN), held at Beautiful Gate event centre Awka, on Sunday.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the summit with the Theme: Unity In Difference, Strength In Unity, sponsored by Awka Connect Network Association was held to brainstorm and map out strategies to end the tussle and to create way for the President General election to take place in peace and unity.
The governor who was represented by the State Commissioner for Local Government/Chieftaincy/Community Matters, Hon Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, noted that peace was necessary for Awka community to make further progress and achieve development beyond it present status.
“This summit, to me, is a great opportunity for us, the government and you, the community to put our heads together to pursue peace in all our dealings and more importantly, in our mutual relationship with one another to get it interestingly right.
“We must seek peace and reflect deeply on the values of peace and tolerance, and do away with the things that retard our resolve to pursue the peace God has given to us all.”
Governor Soludo identified hatred, discrimination, intolerance, selfishness, greed, among others as some of the things fueling leadership crisis in the community.
The governor while informing the participants that the long awaited President General election will be held only if the above mentioned challenges are fully addressed, also noted that the current administration have successfully restore normalcy in 175 communities through a peaceful conduct of President General elections.
In his brief address, the coordinator of the event and the President General of ADUN (Abuja branch), Hon Azuka Obukwelu, the union will continue to engaged all the relevant stakeholders until peace is fully restored in Awka community.
We organised this summit because we want peace and unity in our community and will we achieved it by God’s grace, Obukwelu assured.
On his part, the Vice President of Awka Connect Network Association, Chike Nweze, while commending governor Soludo on the achievements recorded so far within a space of two years in office, said the event was organised purposely to champion the returned of peace and unity in Awka community
Also speaking at the event, the Lawmaker representing Awka North/South Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, Abuja, Hon. Prof Oby Lilian Orogbu, urged the participants to embrace dialogue and constructive engagement, foster a culture of respect and tolerance.
According to her, we must prioritize the interests of our community above self. There is the need for all of us to work together to address pressing issues and develop solution. We are today confronted with diverse security challenges which requires collaborative efforts to overcome and that’s why peace building efforts must preoccupy our thoughs as we ponder on the way forward.
“To chat a way forward, I am proposing the following; *We will established a reconciliation committee to facilitate dialogue and mediation. *Organize community forums to discuss key issues and build consensus. *Develop a comprehensive development plan to address economic and social challenges and to strengthen our town union’s governance structure to ensure accountability and transparency.
The Lawmaker described the summit as a right step in the right direction.
Representatives of ADUN across the 36 states of the federalism including the FCT Abuja were also present during the summit.
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