The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has called for a 24-hour nonviolence and ceasefire across the world to observe World Peace Day and as a way for people to be mobilised to do more than lay down their weapons.
This is contained in a message of peace issued by the UN Secretary General and read by Ibrahim Galadima, Chairman Kano Sports Commission on Tuesday at the International Peace Day commemoration organised by MPI and SWIBODA.
“On this important day, a time to observe 24 hours of nonviolence and ceasefire, we renew our call for all people to do more than lay down their weapons”.
With the theme of this year’s event being “End Racism and Build Peace”, the UN Secretary General also spoke against racism describing it as an evil that robs humanity of rights and dignity.
“Racism robs people of their rights and dignity. It inflames inequality and mistrust and pushes people apart at a time when we should be coming together as one human family to repair our fractured world.
“Instead of fighting each other, we should be working to defeat our true enemies: racism, poverty, inequality, conflict, the climate crises and the COVID 19 pandemic” part of the the message reads.
He also called for the drowning out of the vicious voices of hate speech with a united and sustained cry for truth, understanding and mutual respect.
In his welcome address, the host of the occasion, the chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kano chapter, Comrade Abbas Ibrahim spoke against reckless and sensational journalism saying the world is moving towards development journalism.
He called on journalists and all to embrace and promote peace as a means of achieving developmental progress across the world.
Also present at the event were the traditional rulers and members of Civil Society Organizations in which selected individuals were tagged as Peace Ambassadors.
