By Mariam Abeeb
As part of ongoing efforts to promote national unity amid growing communal and sectarian tensions, the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM-UNESCO), under the Federal Ministry of Education, has embarked on a grassroots peace sensitisation campaign at the Sani Abacha Bus Terminal in Mararaba, Nasarawa.
The campaign was aimed to promote peaceful coexistence and national unity across Nigeria.
The Secretary-General of NATCOM-UNESCO, Dr Idowu Olagunju, after the outreach said the campaign was organised to wrap up a two-day national conference on Peace Education and Cultural Reorientation as a Panacea to Curbing Violence in Nigeria.
He said the terminal was chosen deliberately as a microcosm of the country, being a convergence point for people of diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
“We came here under the auspices of UNESCO to sue for peace,” he said. “What we are preaching is simple: no more war in Nigeria. Every conflict ends in dialogue eventually, so why not start there?”
Olagunju interacted with transport workers, market traders, and commuters during the campaign, urging them to embrace dialogue over violence and unity over division.
He stressed the need for peacebuilding to start from individual homes and communities.
“Start with peace in your home, with your wife, with your children. Tolerance is key. Another religion or tribe doesn’t make anyone your enemy. We must reject hate, tribalism, and inflammatory rhetoric”.
