AS the world marked this year’s International Day of Peace, experts and several stakeholders under the auspices of the Universal Peace Chaplains and Samaritan Rescue Mission (UPCSREM) gathered at the French Village International, Ajara, Badagry, Lagos for a lecture aimed at installing peace in the nation, reports SAM EYOBOKA.

Experts drawn from all security outfits including the Nigaria Army, Nigeria Police, DSS, Nigeria Custom Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC were all unanimous in their various submissions that peace which a cardinal tool for growth and development of any society must begin with the families in such society.

L-R: Lagos CAN chairman, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, Major Yohana Datikun, president, UPCSREM, Apostle Israel Oku, Pastor Goodness Oku, CSP Ubine Eugene, Lady Lolo and Rev. Joseph Adeleke at the event.

They said this during the first International Peace Day Lecture organised by UPCSREM with a theme; “Making Peace Possible”, to commemorate World Peace Day and to mark the mission’s first year anniversary as well as celebrate the 70th birthday and the 41st wedding anniversary of Apostle (Dr) Israel U. Oku, President and Chaplains Commandant-general, UPCSREM.

All the speakers stressed the need for all families to imbibe peace at homes, which they believe, would naturally transcend to the villages, local governments, states, country and the world at large.

Firing the first salvo drawing inspiration from the Bible, Rev. Joseph Adeleke, argued that for peace to reign in Nigeria or any country, there has to be patience, understanding and love in every family.

Adeleke outlined five ‘Ps’: Purposeful; Peaceable; Perseverance; Persistence; and Prayerful, stressing the need to involve God in everything we do.

CSP Ubine Eugene, who represented the Area K Commander, Nigeria Police, averred that if parents train their children well, there would be peace in the society. Eugene continued that if families A, B, C, D etc are good, this would rob off on the society.

While telling parents, communities, everybody even the clergy not to fail on their duties so that peace would prevail, he admonished some parents to stop shielding their kids who indulge in criminal activities.

Representative of Director, State Security Service (SSS), Badagry division, Lady Lolo, took Personal, Documents and Physical perspectives, arguing that personal security is safe guarding oneself by not disclosing to people certain personal information. Document, she noted, involves securing your data while Physical is putting in place certain measures in your environment to save situations which involves monitoring your neighbours to know who they are and what they do.

Major Yohana Datikun, representing the Commanding Officer, 243 Battalion, Nigeria Army, Col. U.B Garba, shared his experience in troubled North East, advising his listeners not to cast aspersions at other people’s religious ideologies.

Said he: “As Nigerians, we should uphold the Nigerian dream of unity in diversity, and stay strong and united.”

Earlier in his welcome address, Apostle Oku explained the vision and mission of UPCSREM, saying that they are priests in uniform, not allowed to carry weapons or use the uniform to harass or commit offenses.

In fact, that they are men of God in uniform, and as a result possesses the attribute of a man of God, which are that they own nothing, are owned by nothing, yet, they own everything and that they are on divine mission.

Lagos State chairman of CAN, Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, lamenting man’s continued involvement in wars despite the United Nations (UN) declaration of international day of peace in 1982, argued that man will never know peace except man, a creation of God, makes deliberate effort to return to God and do God’s will at all times.