By Adeyemi Adeleye/
Prof. Pat. Utomi, a former presidential candidate and political economist, today emerged as the Deputy President of the World Pan-African and In Diaspora United Royal Fathers/Elders Consultative Organisation (PADEFECO).
Utomi, founder of Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) was decorated and presented the Certificate by leaders of the organisation, led by its President-General and Former Inspector General of Police, Chief Mike Okiro in Lagos.
Utomi who commended PADEFECO for the honour said the movement showed how traditional leaders could bring about a state of peace that would lead to development and progress in the continent.
“This is something that is so primary and something that we are challenged by today.
“If you look at our continent, you will see the role terror organisations are playing to destabilise the continent at a time when we need rapid economic development.
“I am a witness in many ways to the roles that groups of traditional rulers and religious leaders are playing in calming things down a little in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria,” he said.
He said some progress made in recent months came from their interventions, saying such could be scaled up across the African continent.
According to Utomi, one of the great commitments for him now is how the African Continental Free Trade Area will create security for aggregation across borders to enable the African Private Sector to gain a greater share and in so doing, create jobs for the continent.
“We need the role of peacemakers and peacebuilders. We need the right condition of peace on our continent.
“So, African leaders, traditional, religious and political must play pointed roles to ensure that ISWAP (Islamic State of West Africa) and other movements that are continental and are destructive of the path to peace and economic progress are discouraged for our people to make progress.
“For several hundred years, our continent has suffered abuse and has been used by the world, we must ensure that we create conditions that will enable Africa to reclaim its dignity on the world stage,” he said.
Earlier, Okiro, who applauded Utomi’s contributions and dedication to the development of peace and entrepreneurship in Nigeria and Africa, said that without peace, nothing could succeed.
“Last year, we put up an idea of having a summit where people will be talking about peace, development and entrepreneurship because we know without peace, nothing can happen. Without security, we cannot get anywhere,” he said.
The president-general who noted that COVID-19 affected the implementation of the idea, said that the organisation would execute the programme in 2022 to ensure Nigerians, Africans and those in the diaspora had peace.
Speaking, the Global Consular-General of PADEFECO, Eze Nwabueze Soronnadi, who stressed the need for peace and stability, said Okiro’s idea of bringing all traditional rulers, religious leaders and elders on a roundtable in 2022 was a path to progress in the continent.
Soronnadi said that such steps and others by the elders could bring an end to insecurity in the sub-Saharan desert, African countries and Nigeria.
He said that the movement was poised about African culture, traditions and norms and it cut across the world.
(NAN)
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