*Says Need For Peace Summit
By Joe Nwankwo, Abuja
As peace gradually returns to the country after the EndSars Protests across the country the Convener of the South East Peace Forum Chief Amaechi Okolie has cautioned that as long as the injustices meted out to the youth in the country is not fully addressed the country is sitting on a keg of gun powder.
He stated that only just would bring a lasting peace to the country just as he called for the convocation of a world peace summit which will bring together all the ethnic nationalities in the country to chart a way forward for the country.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Authority in Abuja Okolie declared that he who goes to equity must come with a clean hand.
According to him “the South East Peace Forum has applied for clearance to hold a peace summit in Enugu which will bring together leaders from across the country who have the interest of the country at heart. The Inspector General Of Police has approved the Peace Summit but one man is sitting on the approval under the pretext that he is carrying out a background check.
“While the country is sitting on a keg of gin powder one man is playing god. We don’t need more shooting of for more people to die before the government would realize the need for the peace summit. What happened with the EndSars protest is a child’s play to what would happen if the injustices are not addressed. What we are enjoying presently is peace of the grave yard, it is temporary and could be only be sorted out if the youths are brought to a round table to ventilate their frustrations” he added.
Okolie who describes himself as a peace Ambassador pointed out that “what we have now after the EndSars protests is peace of the grave yard as the youths are still mobilizing and ready to take to the streets once more. The issue of police brutality is just a tip of the iceberg as it did not start today the youths have said that enough is enough and the Inspector General Of Police was proactive to disband SARs but there are still a lot of issues to be addressed and that is why the South East Peace Forum wants to organize this peace summit to provide the platform for all the agitations to be addressed.
“We want to bring together credible Nigerians who are not tainted by politics, we want to bring together Nigerians who command respect who the youths would listen to with a view to finding lasting solutions to the problems confronting the nation, but unfortunately some people are playing god and making it look as if they are doing us a favour” he added.
Okolie maintained that “it is only individuals with track records who have not soiled their hands with politics and corruption that can douse the tension in the country. These are the people that would talk and the youths would listen to them. These are the people that have come together to plan the Peace Summit they want to collaborate with the government and security agencies to restore peace to the country.
“We want to deploy alternative dispute resolution and dialogue to resolve the present impasse. Members of the South East Peace Forum has been working with other notable groups in the country to organize the peace summit. I pray that an urgent step is taken to avert what is to come. I pray that an urgent action is taken in Igboland which as of today could be said to be the weeping zone in this country before an implosion which cannot be contained takes place. It is better to invest on peace rather than war. We have been working behind the scenes to contain what has today snowballed into a major crisis and we are still working to contain it before it gets to an uncontrollable dimension in the South East.
Okolie stated that unless the country returns to good governance and equity there can never be a lasting peace noting that”the South East remains the only region that has not been properly treated in the country pointing out that for there to be a lasting peace and tranquillity in the country the South East must be properly integrated in the scheme of things hence the need for the Peace Summit to hold in Enugu.
