UNILORIN VC canvasses creation of peace ministry

VICE-CHANCELLOR of the University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali has canvassed for the establishment of ministry of peace and reconciliation in Nigeria towards dousing frequent ethno-religious clashes among the people.

Besides, Ambali in a chat with reporters in Ilorin said each of the nation’s Universities should make the issue of conflicts resolution a compulsory course for all their students before graduating them.

According to him, “the Ministry of Peace is already in operation in countries like Costa-Rica and Denmark among others and you can see the results. What is wrong if we have the same thing here in Nigeria? Universities can introduce it as a compulsory module for their students to institutionalised it here.”
Ambali pointed out that if we could have Ministries of Defence and Justice, “there is nothing wrong in having a Ministry of Peace.”

The Vice-Chancellor noted that although some of the government parastatals are already handling the issue of peace-building in the country, “having a full-fledged Ministry for Peace would not be a bad idea as it would be in line with the practice in countries like Denmark and Costa Rica among others, that are known for peace in the world today.
Ambali while appealing to the Boko Haram insurgents to sheath their swords and embrace peace in the spirit of peaceful co existence warned the sponsors or collaborators of the sect against threatening the corporate existence of the nation through the violence of the group.

The Vice-Chancellor, who described peaceful coexistence as an ingredient for nation building, said the earlier those behind the insurgency have a rethink the better for the growth and development of this country.

He described the recent upsurge in security challenges in the northern part of the country as a thing of great concern, just as he urged the government to, as a matter of policy, provide a holistic approach to stem the tide of the menace to enable the country regain its past glory.