The Economic Community of West African States has reassured its citizens of its unwavering commitment to promoting peace and security across the sub-region to foster unity and economic development.

ECOWAS peace fund manager, Dieudonne Nikiema, made this known on Wednesday in Lagos at a peace conference organised by Adeola Adeyemi Foundation in collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission.

According to him, ECOWAS is ever ready to lend funding support to any organisation that aligns with its vision and mission of promoting peace and security to engender regional development.

Nikiema stressed that ECOWAS’ fundamental mission was to promote peace, security, and development, so it was crucial for the organisation to identify with initiatives that promoted these goals across the sub-region.

Mr Nikiema noted that without peace, security, unity, and harmony among community citizens, no meaningful development would take place in the sub-region.

Also speaking, Adeola Adeyemi, TAAF founder, said the youth could rebuild, transform, and lead the world if only they choose peace over division, unity over hate, and love over fear.

According to her, diversity is not a weakness but a source of strength, and the youth are carrying the singular message of peace in their hearts through the peace conference.

Speaking in a keynote address, the Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akanbi, noted that cohabitation and peace are sacred, sacrosanct, and non-negotiable among humans. 

He identified some of the triggers of conflict, which demand urgent early intervention, as land grabbing, hate speech, intergroup suspicion, youth disenchantment, and contest over resources.

The royal father stated that traditional rulers, as custodians of culture, moral exemplars, and intermediaries between the government and the grassroots, should take responsibility for ensuring peaceful coexistence.

“When a king speaks the language of reconciliation, it resonates widely. When a palace becomes a space where wounded hearts find redress, trust is restored.

“When tradition meets innovation through technology, youth engagement and intergroup platforms, peace-making becomes dynamic, not stale.

“The maintenance of peaceful coexistence is cheaper than war, and a lasting commitment to peaceful coexistence is not in courts or legal textbooks, but in the lived realities of ordinary people across our societies,” he added.

(NAN)