National Association of Seadogs, popularly known as the Pyrates Confraternity, Katamaran Deck, has urged all Nigerians to embrace peace and eschew discrimination in all its forms, violence and crimes, especially as the 2023 general elections draw near.
It said this advice became imperative to ensure a peaceful atmosphere throughout the country, particularly in the run-up to next year’s polls.
Capoon of the Katamaran Deck comprising Ijebu and Remo lands with secretariat in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Mr Olumide Fagbohunka, stated this in commemoration of the 2022 International Day of Peace.
He said Nigerian youths must play the role of the ambassadors for peace by avoiding being used as thugs and hoodlums by politicians to disrupt the electoral process.
Fagbohunka also warned Nigerians against playing ethnic or tribal politics, saying they should cast their votes in next year’s elections for patriotic and capable leaders that can truly deliver the dividends of democracy.
He added that they must also not make themselves willing tools for violence and crimes in the society.
According to him, “Nigerians must strive to build structures for peace and also give peace a chance. Peace is priceless, terror is senseless.
“So, we must all work for peace at all times. The youths should avoid serving as thugs and hoodlums to politicians. There is nothing you gain at the end of the day than destruction and death.”
Every year, the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21. It was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Twenty years later, precisely in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and ceasefire. The theme for this year’s International Day of Peace is “End Racism, Build Peace.”
The Katamaran Deck Capoon also stressed the need for all Nigerians to join hands with the United Nations as the global body works towards a world free of racism and racial discrimination.
He said they should rather embrace a world where compassion and empathy obliterate suspicion and hatred.
He added that building peace is beyond laying down of arms and ending hostilities, stressing that it requires building a society where everyone is given a sense of belonging by being treated equally, regardless of their race.
“Racism is a very dangerous thing. It easily destroys the social fabric of any society as it denies people their fundamental human rights. It is also capable of destabilising societies and undermining democracies as well as government’s legitimacy,” he said.