AFRICAN PEACE MAGAZINE

ISSUE 68 / 2021

N5,000 / $10 / 7

...Providing a friendly pla orm towards achieving peace in Africa

LUSI

Interview XC

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J.S. Okutepa

SAN

AFRICAN PEACE MAGAZINE LTD

TACKLING INSECURITY IN NIGERIA AFRICA AND THE QUEST FOR NUCLEAR POWER

SPACE TOURISM

INEQUALITY IN VACCINE DISTRIBUTION

Editorial Team Editor In Chief/Publisher Noah Ajare

Eric Emmanuel Sossah (Togo) Salama Kasoga (Uganda) Hadiza Abdulrahman (Nigera) Sylvia Nachilinda (Zambia) Tonye Suzanne (Cameroon) Sunday Honorine (Rwanda) Lillian Wamuyu (Kenya) Ntombi Magagula (South Africa)

Editor Mercy O. Ogaranya Deputy Editor Anyanele Ifunanya

Edify Yakusak (Nigeria)

Managing Editor Adefolahan Adeyemo

Marketing and Business Development Bizchart NG Investment Holdings (PTY) Ltd (South)

Associate Editor Okibe Agbenu Erica Ruth Yohanna African Peace Team Angela Mandara (Kenya) Chief Alfred Solomon (United Kingdom) Joy Umekwe (United Kingdom) Olajide Ajayi (Ireland) Somie Kay (Kenya) Segun Victor (France) Johnny Mashigo (South Africa) Jemiriye Adeniji (USA) Laolu Omisade (Canada) Charles Acculley (Ghana) Tony Stony (Zambia) Mary Anyango Oluoch (Kenya) Noble W. Kel Ngozisonye (UAE) Deji Gbotosho (Nigeria) Hauwa Gadzama (Nigeria) Ayiroth Sandra (Uganda) Shreya Yadav (India) Sekao Phenyo Ntsosa (Botswana) Charity Lily (South Africa) Joseph Onele (Nigeria)

Editorial Board Prof. Lloyds Williams (USA) Prof. Muhamed Tawq Ladan (Nigeria) Prof. Paul O. Idornigie (Nigeria) Dr. Abiodun Odusote (Nigeria) Graphics/Photograph Abdulrau Raimi John Okwo Mattory Digital Print CreativeReality Contributors Elvis Lyorngurm Adam Alkali Zoe Seeker Zina Harvey Ejodame Emmanuel Uju Nnaji

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Tel.: +44744 8921 266 ...Providing a friendly pla orm towards achieving peace in Africa

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Email: info@africanpeacemag.org Website: www.africanpeacemag.org www.africanpeacemag.org

Table of

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Editor’s

NOTE I

t is to be noted that by 2050, Africa is projected to house more than 2.2 billion people, making up over half of global population growth.

This figure contains many stark realities. African governments will have to provide efficient agriculture, housing, transportation, medical and logistics services if they are to the assuage the restless population. And mostly there would a sharp increase in Human Rights violations in the continent. African despite spirited effort has not been able to enjoy seamless integration, as we have in Europe. Traveling within Africa by African requires VISAs and very stressful journeys.

Coupled with the authoritarian posture of most African countries, peace has become extremely elusive in most part of the continent.

Are African governments awake to this reality? It would seem they are not. While Angola and Gabon are rooted at the bottom of the list for youth employability globally, Nigeria has the most out of school children in the world. In the East, the little gains Ethiopia has made is being threatened by continuous war in the Tigray region while Mozambican elites are currently being hounded for corruption. Again in the south of the continent, particularly Zimbabwe, the long-suffering citizens continue to reel under the twin forces of Western imposed sanctions and a corrupt and despotic leadership without any hope of a respite. Zimbabwe’s refusal to ratify

international treaties such as the Protocol to the African Charter establishing the African Court further isolates the country and entrenches a culture of unaccountability and arbitrariness much to the prejudice of its population.

To face its reality, and create a future it can be proud of, African must begin addressing its c h a l l e n g e s n o w, a n d t o d a y. A f r i c a n governments must wake up to the reality of its g row i n g p o p u l a t i o n w h i l e e m p l oy i n g sustainable means to seek economic growth through collaboration with relevant institutions. Only by doing this can the African narrative of hunger and poverty begin to change, ever so gradually. The African Court is thus properly positioned to deal with Human Rights violations in the continent, but the refusal of most member states to deposit the instrument is a major setback that requires urgent attention. According to Mwalimu Julius Nyerere “In Africa peace, unity and peoplecentred development are inextricably ... You can't have peace, in any country, in my view, without justice” That is why we have a jurist per Excellence in this exclusive interview, J. S. Okutpa SAN and others. Please enjoy this unique edition of the African Peace Magazine.

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S

Noah Ajare Editor In Chief/Publisher

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Which food vendor is closer to the consumers location and if they deliver to the location as well as the price of delivery There will also be an interface for review on the delivery and the vendor There will be an interface where consumers will track their delivery There should be an interface where the consumers can give instructions with regards to their order There should be an interface for different modes of payment and if the vendor accepts that mode of payment

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JIBRIN SAMUEL OKUTEPA SAN AFRICAPEACE 8

B

orn on the 1st day of January 1960 to the family of Chief and Mrs Okutepa Ogaji Attah, from Aju-Akogu dynasty of Attah Igala Royal family, Jibrin Samuel Okutepa is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He is an astute legal practitioner of great repute and industry. Mr. Okutepa, SAN did not have the benefit of full primary education. He started his primary school at an adult age of over 17 years. He started in Primary 2 at Benue State Local School Board (BSLSB), primary School Ogbogbo in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area, now Kogi State, on the 3rd September, 1977.

He dropped out to learn Motorcycle Mechanic. He completed his primary School education in 1980 by enrolling in primary six where he sat for his primary school Certificate Examination at Takum Local G ove r n m e n t P r i m a r y S c h o o l Mararaba, in the then Gongola State, now in Taraba State.

Benue State.

The law firm was later restructured and named J.S. Okutepa and company, and now J.S. Okutepa SAN and company. Mr Okutepa, SAN is a committed and dedicated member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) both at the national and branch levels. He held several positions in NBA Makurdi Branch from 1993 to 2008. He was the financial secretary, Publicity Secretary, Secretary and 1st Vice Chairman of NBA Makurdi Branch between 1993 and 2008. He was a member of General Council of the Bar, Member National Executive Committee of NBA, from 2004 till 2 0 1 8. Af t e r s eve ra l ye a r s o f distinguished legal practice, he was elevated to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on the 7th day of July 2011 and sworn in on 26th August 2011 by the Chief Justice of Nigeria. He was the only legal practitioner from Kogi State that was conferred with the rank of SAN in 2011.

Mr. Okutepa, SAN did not attend Secondary School at all. Between 1980-1981, He attended Benue State Fire Service Training School, Makurdi after he was recruited as a fire man into Benue State Fire Service, Makurdi. In 1982 He sat for GCE O’level as External Candidate in November/December and passed all the five subjects he sat for. He attended School of Basic Studies, Makurdi,1985-1987. He then attended University of Jos from 1987–1990. He was at the Nigerian Law School Victoria Island, Lagos between 1990 and 1991 and was called to the Nigerian Bar on 12th December 1991.

Mr. J.S. Okutepa SAN was a member of Body of Benchers. He became a member of the Body of Benchers on the 30th of March 2017 till 31st March 2020.

J.S. Okutepa, SAN co-founded the law firm of Agamah, Okutepa and Company in 1993, with Mr. Mike O. Agamah, after his pupillage with the law firms of F.M.E. Nezan and Company and E.A. Haruna and Company all based in Makurdi,

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The Body of Benchers established pursuant to section 3 of the Legal Practitioners Act 1962 as amended, Cap L.11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, is the body of Legal practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession which is responsible for the formal call to Bar of persons seeking to become legal practitioners as well as discipline of erring lawyers in Nigeria. He was also a member of Body of Benchers Mentoring Committee.

Mr. Okutepa SAN is a recipient of various awards of recognition including the NBA presidential award for meritorious services to the Bar. He is a highly respected

his doggedness, depth and demanding qualities. It is as a result of these qualities and the outstanding demonstration of his value for ethical standards, that successive Presidents of the Nigerian Bar Association appointed him the Chief Prosecutor for the NBA at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) since 2012.

He held the position of Chief Prosecutor for NBA at LPDC between January 2012 to O c t o b e r 2 0 1 7, b e fo re h e resigned.

At the International Level, Mr Okutepa SAN is a member of the following Professional Associations: a. I n t e r n a t i o n a l B a r Association (IBA) b. American Bar Association (ABA), International section, c. Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA). d. African Bar Association e. Pan African Lawyers Union f. I n t e r n a t i o n a l B a r Association, African Regional Forum.

M r. O ku t e p a SA N i s we l l travelled and has visited many Countries across the globe. He h a s v i s i t e d t h e fo l l ow i n g countries, Spain, United Arab Emirates, USA, UK, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Uganda, Ghana, Dublin and so on.

authority and conference s p e a ke r p a r t i c u l a r l y o n criminal procedures in Nigerian Courts, Litigation and ethics.

He is also a notable analyst and commentator on Legal and National issues and features regularly on invitation by the press. He has written

variously on many issues of law and has contributed in many journals, articles and published books which are strong reference materials in the Profession.

Mr. Okutepa’s practice of law has a profound reputation for

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J.S. Okutepa SAN’s hobbies a re : Ad vo ca c y, Te a c h i n g , Reading, Accepting Challenges, Meeting People, Football, Discussing National a n d Int e r n a t i o n a l Is s u e s , Writing and Travelling. Mr. Okutepa SAN is a family man.

He is happily married to Mrs. Eleojo Toyin Okutepa and they are blessed with Children and grandchildren. Two of their children are lawyers.

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Q: What does peace mean to you in Africa, especially Nigeria?

ANSWER: For me, peace is the absence of conflict; peace is when everything is normal. A society is free of conflicts when there are no armed conflicts, when there is absence of hunger, when there are no conflicts of any kind and there is tranquility everywhere. It is when people go to sleep with their two eyes closed, they wake up in the morning to see abundance of rain in terms of r e s o u r c e s , fo o d , m o v i n g around, exercising their fundamental right of choosing where to live and how to live without been molested, harassed and everyone

engages in his or her trade without any one trying to lord it over them. And then the general term that we are all o u r b ro t h e r s’ ke e p e r s i s observed and respected. Not the kind of Cain and Abel behavior of those days where we engage in destructive jealousy and they look for the heads of one to bring down so that you can occupy the position of the other.

Generally, in a country where there is peace, there is economic development and social development. There is growth in every department of that society. But where you have a society that engages in something that looks like a state of the nature, where the mighty is right, where those who have the means of production dominate at the expense of the rights of others, then you will begin to see that life is short, brutish and nasty.

Then there will be no place for industry, and then it will be to yo u r t e n t s o’ I s ra e l , a n d

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everyone begins to defend themselves.

In a nutshell therefore, I see peace as where there is less conflict, where everyone is happy to be in such a society and each and every one of us contributes your widow’s mite to the development of that society. So for me, there seems to be crises everywhere in our society. In Africa, we have some seat tight leaders who engage in primordial tribal fights as a means of acquiring power to dominate, and not many acquire powers to protect and defend the territorial integrity of African societies. People acquire power, particularly in Nigeria, mainly to dominate and to impoverish in disguise of

“Nigerians are not even ready for leadership”

leadership. They engage in monumental corruption as we will find in Nigeria, so many public office holders rather than doing what is right and promoting the interest and welfare of the Nigerian people, seem to be engaging in what is called political injustice to the disadvantage of other members of the society. Part of the reason we have ethnic militias and ethnic warlords being led by even those who have no capacity to lead, championing leadership in various societies, in various states and various ethnic nationalities in Nigeria is because of their perception that there is injustice. And powers are not being used to the benefits of the vast majority of Nigerian people. So you then see conflict, insecurity across board. Then part of the reasons we also see what we are seeing is the propensity to worship money at the expense of uprightness and integrity.

Money is what we worship and in those good olden days, you don’t just wake up and then as a lady for instance walk up to your parents and say “Hi daddy meet my boyfriend or girlfriend,” because questions were asked.

“Where are you coming from?”

“Who is this Mr. A?” “Who are his parents?”

“What is their pedigree?”

“Their background.”

“Are they likely to be thieves? Or do they suffer from contagious diseases?”

“Are they people who have the interest of the society at heart or they are wicked?” “Or they practice witchcraft in their society?”

So parents were more of having control over their children but in the jet age, we seem to be faster than our

parents and if it were possible we would have engaged in circumcising our parents which is ‘unafrican.’ So, when you put all of these things together, you will discover that conflict was systematically built up from t h e t i m e w e h a d independence till now in Nigeria. For instance, the so called dominant tribes in Nigeria; the Igbo, Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba b e l i e v e d w r o n g l y, i n m y estimation, that they are the ones that have the best blood to lead in this country. I do not see any of the three tribes been more special than the tribe I come from. So when injustice is beginning to be manifest, people begin to take arms and that leads to conflict and that is why nobody can again drive across each and every geo political zone in Nigeria with freedom. For instance, moving from here in Abuja to Abakaliki, or moving from here in Abuja to Idah in my village called Apata, you may have to engage with battalions of police to see you off, otherwise, you will be kept in detention by those who have no legitimate right in doing so and your freedom will now be negotiated under the concept of what they call ‘ransom’ w h i c h g i v e s opportunity to acquire more arms and more Nigerians keep suffering from this injustice in the hands of these bandits as a result of failure of leadership, fa i l u re of governance, failure on the part of our leaders to do w h a t i s supposed to be

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done.

A common saying in Nigeria for a long time now is that, “youths are leaders of tomorrow. I have been hearing that since, now that I am an adult and getting old, I am yet to see youths b e co m e l e a d e r s . R a t h e r, Nigerian youths seem to be useful instruments in the hands of the political warlords to pervert the cause of justice, allowing injustice to rule the cause of the society. So if I am to talk to you on varieties of social issues that have affected us, ranging from electoral value, educational values, security value, we may not finish in the next five days, because there is no peace in Nigeria, and on a daily basis, the fundamental right to freedom from fear and the freedom of life is in jeopardy.

You can’t move from here to Garki for instance without th inking that somebody may be on the road to waylay y o u i n order to hide you in o n e corn

er. So daily, we are sleeping with our two eyes literally open because of insecurity. “Why is it so in Africa?” you may wonder.

It does appear to me that there is no rule of law in Africa.

What I mean is this; there are no consequences for misbehavior in Africa, otherwise, you can’t see this type of a situation in America fo r i n s t a n c e , t h e U n i t e d Kingdom or in France and of late in Rwanda. You can’t see it, because the rule of law works there and I think that if you ask me, the reason why we have what we have here in Nigeria and in most African countries is because of our inability to apply sanctions where sanctions are required. I can tell you why that is so. In Africa, we are “specialists in taking ownership of wrongs.” Once an Igbo man is in power for instance, he does not see wrong in anything that an Igbo man does. The same thing with Hausa/Fulani. The same thing w i t h Yo r u b a . S o t h e commitment to Nationhood, to Nationalism, to patriotism and to protecting the entity called Nigeria is not there. All that we struggle on daily basis are, and as I have written on series of occasions, is that a country where leaders plan who gets what power without planning what program to engage in order to better the lots of the people tomorrow or what is our political, economic and social agenda for the development of the society, cannot be a developed country. All that we now quarrel in Nigeria as at today, is which part of the Nigerian society produces the next president of Nigeria.

“It should go to South-South,” “It should go to North-East,” “It should go to North-West,” “It should go to South-East”

and so on and so forth. So when we engage in this kind of primordial partisan arguments as to where leaders come from, we forget about the requirements of leadership which includes competence, patriotism, ability to act as a leader for others to follow because leadership qualities are worth more than the quality of the ruler. What we have been having virtually in Nigeria are rulers not leaders because a leader leads by example. When you read the book written by Lee Kuan Yew “From Third world to First,” he said “we refuse to compromise”, and I can tell you this without been apologetic that “Nigerians are not even ready for leadership.” The followership is bad because if you have the misfortune, Mercy to be appointed Special Adviser to the Governor of Ebonyi State, no one cares how you make your money. What they are interested in is “Mercy our own has come and you must give to the community,” “How can you be in government and you have not been able to give to the community?” So, whoever that is unable to sleep well with his wife would blame Mercy as not been able to give money for them to feed yesterday night.

So we have problem of followership in Nigeria and

“In Africa, we are specialist in taking ownership of wrongs”

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that is why we are not able to produce good leadership, because the leaders come from us. The expectations of the followership is too high. But the leader is so monumentally disastrous that if we are not careful with the way we are going, we may not have a country called our own. So for me there is no peace in Africa b e ca u s e of i n j u s t i ce a n d virtually no African leader or ‘ruler’ had left office without a dent of corruption. I was wa t c h i n g a fo r m e r V i c e President the other day and I h e a rd h i m t a l k i n g a b o u t electricity and how money was paid upfront to the tune of millions of dollars for work not done and yet nobody was brought to book. Indeed, what happened in South Africa may not happen in Nigeria where Zuma was jailed for disobedience to summons to appear in court. In Nigeria, all the political rulers are people I describe as ‘touch not.’ If for instance President Muhammadu Buhari is not in power tomorrow and is arrested and detained, you would see the level of illiteracy being displayed by those who have seen the four walls of the u n i ve rs i ty d efe n d i n g a n d prosecuting in mob justice against those who would have the liver to do so. The same thing with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In fact, who would arrest Obasanjo or former President Jonathan? If late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was alive or Obafemi Awolowo, or Sultan of Sokoto, and they are found to have committed a breach of our penal laws, who would bail the cat? Who would dare the tiger? Who would arrest them? Who brings them t o b o o k ? Yo u w o u l d s e e placards! That is why criminals are been hailed in Nigeria.

Criminals who are supposed to be in prison are been defended by those are supposed to be shining examples of leadership in Nigeria and then they wake up to say “it’s our own” within the concept of what Prof.

Pa t r i c k Lu m u m b a c a l l e d “ownership of thieves.” In Africa we take ownership of thieves, take ownership of religion, and take ownership of tribe. It gets to a level now that we no

longer have truth for ourselves.

We are living in a mutual suspicion of one another and so for me, there can’t be peace in such an inherently contradictory society where people do not know what they want, and how they want it.

And those crises are also extending to the noble profession of law.

Lamentations, soliloquizing, singing, talking, writing and

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praying that one day, God himself will raise somebody who can listen to us. Some of us are like Lord Denning who was writing dissenting judgments; it took the English House of Lords so many years to come to terms and reality with Lord Denning’s theory of law. So, for me Africa is in jeopardy, Nigeria is in crises, the armed conflicts that we see, the AK47 guns wielded by bandits up and down can be traced to the deep seated corruption in our society. For instance, why should AK47 be freely used on the streets and bushes in Nigeria, when we have people who are in charge of controlling the arms and ammunition, like the Nigerian Customs Service and the Nigerian Immigration Service?

We also have the Nigerian Police Force and these people, majority of them are not doing their work. The work they are paid to do has been commercialized. It is possible for you to kidnap and kill a prominent person and put at the trunk of your car and security operatives in Nigeria would not even notice if you have ‘mints’ that you can give. “oh your boy is loyal,” “we are on the road,” and “we are your boys” I am sure you must have witnessed it.

So why is that happening and they are supposed to protect you and I on the roads? Are they doing that? I think not.

That is why we have proliferation of arms and ammunitions in the hands of bandits and criminals in Nigeria. The resultant consequences are the armed conflicts and the kidnappings we see on a daily basis in Nigeria.

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Conflict

Conflicts are bound to occur even in the womb.

Conflict has been defined

by Sir Best as the pursuit of incompatible interests and goals by different groups. It is my view that conflict is a

daily struggle between one o r m o re p e r s o n s ove r decisions, values, claims, power, status, authority and scarce resources in which the aims of the conflicting parties are not only to win

Mercy O. Ogaranya

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and gain the desired values, but also to neutralize, injure, or eliminate the rivals.

Conflict entails discord in actions, lack of concordance in opinion in order to achieve one’s own

Conflict is not the absence of peace in any given system, but the dynamics of co-existence which can be managed through proper r e s o l u t i o n strategies.

goal. It connotes disagreement, distortions, inconsistencies, and antagonisms existing in a particular system. In all human interactions and organizational behaviour, conflicts are bound to occur.

All organizations, such as governmental or nongovernmental, formal or informal gathering, close or public circuits, etc, have conflict potentials since they are a collection of people with diverse personality. In other words, conflict is an inbuilt aspect of the organizational behaviour system. Hence, it has been pointed out that a total absence of conflict in any organization would be unbelievable, impossible, undesirable, and boring, and a strong indicator that such conflict is suppressed.

Does this mean that we should promote conflict?

The existence and prevalence of such conflicts and their traumatic effects cannot be ignored. It needs to be controlled and resolved because when this mutual hostility is not re s o l ve d , t h e e ffe c t i s

disharmony and dearth of peace. To any nation, its catastrophically damaging, as closed units like the family of other organization, its impact is never forgotten in such a hurry. They can perfectly break down a system completely.

According to Prof. Oputa, peace advances development, growth, and progress. Peace is order, peace is brother-hood, and peace is life itself. The consequences of conflicts on the school organization have been regrettable. Part of the repercussions on a Nation, is disruption of the working systems, break of law and order, no point of consensus ad idem, and withdrawal from active participation in the affairs of the nation or organization as the case maybe.

What instrument then can be employed in conflict in other to achieve peace?

Resolution is an act of finding a solution to problems or a conflict.

Conflict Resolution Strategy

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(CRS), therefore, is a method desired to develop peaceful means of amicably settlement or ending a state of conflict.

According to Prof. Miller, mediation is the intervention of a third party.

The objective is to help parties to a conflict within an environment of controlled c o m m u n i t i e s t o re a c h solution to their problems.

Conflict resolution can be approached through four strategies that is: “avoiding, accommodating, compromising, and co l l a b o rat i n g ”. Fo r a ny Nation or organization to manage its conflict effectively I strong recommend Conflict Resolution Strategy (CRS) in Negotiation, Mediation i n c l u d i n g ot h e r m e a n s e nt a i l e d u n d e r C R S to embrace avoiding, accommodating, compromising and collaborating.

Conflict is not the absence o f p e a c e i n a ny g i ve n system, but the dynamics of co-existence which can be managed through proper resolution strategies.

LUSI

Interview As a First Class Degree holder in Broadcasting and Journalism from the University of Wales, Simi Drey is an experienced Broadcaster who has wo r ke d a c ro s s m e d i a platforms in both the United Kingdom and Nigeria. On radio, she is currently the anchor of 'The Saturday Morning Cruise' and 'The Gospel Zone' at The Beat 99.9Fm. On television, she is the anchor of African Movie C h a n n e l ’ s M o v i e Ta l k .

Through these platforms, Simi Drey has been passionate about entertaining and educating the youth; tomorrow's leaders.

XC

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1. Kindly tell us a little about yourself?

My name Simi Drey and I’m a Television and Radio Presenter and actress.

Simi Drey

4. Can education bring about Peace?

Yes it can. At the moment we see conflict between different tribes in Nigeria, we see conflict between people of different religions, etc the list goes on. Education can help teach us that we are one Nigeria and even though we may have different views, we are not each other’s enemies.

2 . Te l l u s a b o u t y o u r Company/organization?

On radio, I work at the Beat 99.9FM an Urban radio station aimed at youths. I also have a television show on African Movie Channel where I interview the faces 5. What’s your best behind Nollywood. approach to confict 3. What does Peace mean resolution ?

I would say education. to you?

Peace is living without People aren’t born hating conflict, contentment and others. This is something they are conditioned to do. ease.

Education can help to undo some of the conditioning.

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6. What is your plan for towards achieving peace in your Country?

On radio I have the opportunity to speak to millions of Nigerians in the country and even in the diaspora through the internet. As someone who grew up abroad, I had an idealistic view of Nigeria before moving here. I had no idea of the conflict that was on ground. However, what I don’t understand is that be Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo, we are all suffering from the lack of infrastructure in the country, the increase in food prices, the drop of the naira rate, etc. We all suffer many of the same issues together.

We are not each other’s enemies.

7. Do you believe that technology is helping to make the world more peaceful?

Technology is neither a good or bad thing. It depends on how it is used.

Yes, technology has done a lot in the pursuit of peace, i .e . i nfo r m a t i o n t ra ve l s faster, it’s easier to get resources to certain people, etc. However, technology has also been used for the creation of weapons to kill or harm people on a much larger scale.

hype on social media get to you. Many times, all you need to do is disconnect and pray. Life is not a race.

You bring your own unique energy to the world. You do not need to compete with anyone.

lives of people around them, it shows that there is still humanity left in the world.

11. African leaders are renowned for holding onto power at all cost, what is your view?

Many African leaders do not 9. Why is fashion always in understand that leadership is not about people serving the new?

Technically, fashion isn’t you but actually serving necessarily always in the others. We see this with new. Many times the new Jesus who came to earth as trends are recycled trends a son of a carpenter instead from previous eras with just of draped in the glory of the heavens. Leadership a different spin on them. re q u i re s i n t ro s p e c t i o n , 10. What do you think of humility and strength. Sadly N o n g o v e r n m e n t a l one of the reasons Africa hasn’t fulfilled its potential is organizations in peace because instead of working keeping?

What these NGOs do is on these qualities and absolutely commendable. b u i l d i n g a t h r i v i n g We live in a world where the democratic continent, our majority of people are solely leaders are focusing on their focused on themselves and egos. how they can make it. So when I see people take out 12. What do you think of time to truly improve the t h e A f r i c a n P e a c e Magazine initiative?

It’s fantastic and I hope your keep soaring and attaining greater heights.

13. What is your advice for African immigrants?

It’s difficult because I don’t know the circumstances concerning all immigrants and their decision to leave Africa. I love Nigeria for example but I don’t blame educated Nigerians leaving for better opportunities abroad. Statistically, African Immigrants in America are among the most educated

8. What advice do you have for the youth?

Everyone seems to want to make it immediately and sometimes it’s easy to let the

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groups. That says a lot. The UK has over 8,000 Nigerian Doctors and when I compare the way doctors in Nigeria and the West are treated, I understand. It’s the sad reality. For those seeking opportunities in the West, have a plan before you leave because the West can be pretty lonely and unforgiving. Please do play by the rules. Don’t try to scam the system but get into the system. Africans are some of the most hardworking and innovative people in the world and with the right opportunities and hard work, we can truly can do amazing things.

14. Tell us about Human Rights Violations in Africa Where do we even begin?

We could talk about the violation of the rights of women, the violation of the rights of children or the violation of every citizen’s right to shelter, security, right to work and education, violations of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The list goes on.

Also, I can’t speak for the whole of Africa as it is a huge continent and each country is different. I can only speak on my observations about Nigeria.

15. Why do you think we have so much inequalities in Africa Africa is the richest continent in the world. We have everything from man

power to natural resources.

Yet we are the poorest continent in the world.

Primarily this is due to corruption because there is enough wealth to go around. I have seen some African countries take a step in the right direction such as Ghana though so it is not a lost cause. I will never lose fa i t h i n m y c o n t i n e n t .

However, it will be a long process.

16. Why do we still depend on foreign donations in Africa I am not completely convinced these donations even reach the causes they are donated for and if someone is taking the money, I doubt they’d want it to stop.

17. Why is Africa always in the news for the negative things.

The west has the power of the media. You will notice with America, whenever they have issues with other countries be it Russia or Afghanistan, these countries will always be portrayed negatively in their films. The negative stereotype of Africa has made many Africans believe they are inferior and in a way has chained many minds in a form of mental slavery.

Now I’m not here to bash the West, but the media has always been used as a tool for propaganda and the things we watch and

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c o n s u m e h a v e a psychological effect on our minds.

18. Why is so difficult for Africa to unite I look at America and it is a melting pot of many n a t i o n a l i t i e s . Howeve r, Americans are generally extremely patriotic. They are constantly bombarded with films portraying A m e r i c a n s a s h e ro’s ; protectors of the world and as the superpower of the world. I think we need a lot more media coverage of Africa in a positive light and not just once in a while films like Black Panther. Every c h i l d s h o u l d a l s o h a ve access to quality education and schools are important when it comes to shaping the minds of the future leaders of Africa. Our leaders have set the precedent for corruption and the mentality of taking advantage of your neighbour for your own personal gain. We need a shift in mindset.

19. African Health care sector is in crises any way out?

I mentioned earlier that the UK now has over 8,000 Nigerian doctors working there so our issue is not necessarily lack of workforce. However, the Health sector is in dire need of funding and investment.

Up to date equipment needs to constantly be

bought and doctors constantly trained. Doctors also need an incentive to s t a y i n Af r i c a a n d n o t relocate so their wages need to be increased. I am a huge supporter of free healthcare as someone who wa s fo r t u n a t e t o h a ve access to the NHS in the Uk. Medical treatment is extremely expensive in Nigeria and people earning under a certain amount simply cannot afford it. It all boils down to funding and investment.

20. What advise do you have for curbing crimes in Africa.

We need to treat violence as a public health concern. We

need to use campaigns and technology to reach every child and family in this co nt i n e nt . We n e e d t o develop those tools to make sure that everybody feels important and cared for through parenting interventions, family interventions, well being campaigns, and early childhood education. There is also scientific evidence that a focus on hotspots and ca n p reve n t o r re d u ce violence. However, we need to also accompany this with other measures such as urban upgrading, better urban planning, and situational prevention.

secessions in some parts of Africa, what advise do you have for us.

I always believe that divided we fall, united we stand.

However, there has been a lot of hurt done to certain groups of people in Africa.

T h e r e h a s t o b e accountability instead of swe e p i n g t h e s e t h i n g s under the carpet. For Africans to feel United especially within their individual countries, all parts of the country must feel like they have a voice, like they are cared about and that the leaders will treat them like full citizens and not second class citizens in their own countries.

2 1 . We h a v e c a l l s f o r 22. Any other thing you may wish to add We have witnessed terrible things happen in Africa. Just in Nigeria last year, the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre broke our hearts. However, we cannot give up on our continent. If we give up, we have already lost the battle.

There are many things we can do such as voting during elections and even properly disposing of waste to reduce flooding. It’s difficult to try to stay positive especially when you’re struggling but never stop praying and never stop doing the little you can do to help your continent. Change will not come immediately but if enough people do the right thing, we will turn Africa into the promised land a lot faster.

AFRICAPEACE 21

Africa

Quest

and the

For

Power

N

uclear power compared to coal and other local or traditional power plants is considered a better alternative and a more environmentally beneficial solution since it emits far less greenhouse gases during electricity generation. Over the year nuclear power has clinched a reputation among policymakers as a cost-effective and environmental friendly fix.

In Africa, currently south Africa happens to be the only subSaharan with a functional nuclear power plant located at Koeberg, near Cape Town. Nigeria and Ghana only poses a research reactor which primary purpose is for training and studying and

testing of materials. For Africa countries the inability to generate adequate electricity continue to undermine economic growth, according to Africa progress panel, the low or inadequately generation of electricity in Africa has caused the reduction in Africa GDP from 4percent to 2 percent, a figure that will require $55bn per year in investment by 2030 to fix.

It will surface to ascribe the inability of most Africa countries to key into the nuclear power to the

AFRICAPEACE 22

huge upfront cost of nuclear power stations, the security and safety measures in hosting a nuclear power plant in volatile regions, political rivalry and instability, the kind of regulatory and legislative systems indigenous to these Africa countries. It is worthy of note that most critics have identify one major problem of Africa keying into the nuclear power idea and is not far from the fact that Africa do not utilize the idea of renewable energy.

M y c l e S c h e i d e r, a n independent expert at

the World Nuclear Industry Status Report had this to say “I don’t think there will be new-build nuclear programs in any of the African countries where they are currently being discussed whether in Ghana, Nigeria or South Africa” he went further to say “you can’t build a new nuclear plant under market economy conditions anymore. It’s over.”

An analysis by EE Publishers, a South Africa publisher specializing in energy has stated the capital cost of new plants to cover an estimate of $50bn, excluding interest. However, nuclear in a long term has low costs as you amortize the plant.

P h u m z i l e Ts h e l a n e , c h i e f executive of the government –owned South Africa Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) says “if Africa countries are going to leapfrog to much more profitable economic development, they will have to choose sources of energy that are relatively cheap in the long term. I believe that when you look at the lifecycle costs, nuclear is cheaper”.

Africa countries need to weigh up the costs of not having enough energy and electricity to the cost of not having enough or not having at all, Africa must key into nuclear power if we must advance economically, Africa can achieve this by entering sustainable agreements with fo re i g n d eve l o p e d fi r m s a t subsidized cost amongst others. It is time Africa begin to think big we have what it takes to make the nuclear power.

Uleyo

Ofunamhe Promise

AFRICAPEACE 23

W W W . A F R I C A N P E A C E . O R G

Sub ribe now for our next edition

...Providing a friendly pla orm towards achieving peace in Africa

AFRICAPEACE 24

At Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Africa, we are committed towards working out pro-active measures for conflict prevention and resolution, as well as the promotion of peace and peaceful co-existence amongst Africans. We are deeply committed to user friendly justice delivery; we support human rights and fight against all forms of torture. We strongly support the abolition of death penalty. We promote democratic norms and support rule of law. We strongly advocate the use of technological innovations in achieving justice and peaceful coexistence in Africa. We seek to reduce corruption by supporting efforts to build an atmosphere of accountability, transparency, and good governance in Africa. We are committed to channeling our resources towards the propagation of peace and conflict management in Africa. We are also positioned towards enhancing a network of other individuals and corporate persons, both within and outside the African continent in pursuit of similar ideas.

Website: www.centreforpeace.org Twitter: www.twitter.com/cfpcma Email: centreforpeace@gmail.com Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Centre-For-Peace-andConflict-Mgt-in-Africa Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/centre-forpeace-and-conflict-management-in-africa

+2347025003543, +2347025003544, +2347025003537

a  e d A o k e d Osi

OneOn One With

AFRICAPEACE 26

1. Kindly tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Adeola Osideko, a trained accountant, trainer/coach, and a social media influencer. I am a Nigerian, but I work and live in Cote d’voire with my family. I am passionate about speaking and impacting knowledge 2 . Te l l u s a b o u t y o u r Co m p a ny/o rg a n i za t i o n ?

Crystal Edge professional Services is a training and consultancy firm that trains/consults on branding and Personal Development.

We operate offline but have 2 online Academy which is used as a training platform for easy access.

5. What’s your best approach to conflict resolution?

Dialogue is my best conflict resolution approach.

Communication is a powerful t o o l t h a t we ca n u s e t o understand the grievances of people and proffer a solution.

What is left uncommunicated will be left unresolved, dialogue between concerned parties can do a lot of good than sweeping matters under the carpet and assuming things will sort itself out.

6. What is your plan for towards achieving peace in your Country?

I believe achieving peace is a collective effort of individuals and social media is a tool that can be used to achieve this

3. What does Peace mean to you?

Pe a ce m e a n s l i v i n g /co habiting with other people in unity without chaos. It is also a situation that is void of disturbance. There is something as such called inner peace this is when people experienced tranquility within themselves, this is as well important.

4. Can education bring about Peace?

Yes, education can bring about peace because education brings enlightening and understanding. According to oxford dictionary, education is an enlightening experience.

In my opinion, I believe when people are educated, they will know better and when they know better, they will do better.

AFRICAPEACE 27 21

goal. Influencers with a large following on social media can use their platforms to spread positivity, love and kindness i n s t e a d of s t r i fe , h a t re d , bullying or unkind words.

Larger number of people following these influencers and celebrities are directly or indirectly influenced by what they do or say. That can be a means of instilling the culture of peace.

7. D o y o u b e l i e v e t h a t technology is helping to make the world more peaceful?

No and yes, technology has its pros and cons and it all depends on where we channel i t . U s i n g t e c h n o l o g y fo r bullying which is what is more

common is anti- peace and has sent so many people to their early grave and cause so many people to be bitter towards people they have not seen or met before.

8. What advice do you have for the youth?

To b e a p e a c e a g e n t anywhere they are and anywhere they go, to be good ambassador of African by avoiding anything that can stir wrath and strife. Sharp words cut like a sword, but words of wisdom heal. People need to check what they say or put out on social media before saying it because it can do more damage than good.

9. Why is fashion always in the new?

Fa s h i o n i s a wa y of l i fe , appearing presentable and fashionable often attract attention and so everyone is conscious of how they appear in the public. Personally, I am a fashionable person with a g o o d fa s h i o n s e n s e a n d a l wa ys l o o k fo r wa rd t o appearing well in public.

10. What do you think of Nongovernmental organizations in peace keeping?

Non-governmental organizations are doing a good job in terms of helping to promote peace in the society.

Government alone can not do this hence it is important for non-governmental organizations to step in.

11. African leaders are renowned for holding onto power at all cost, what is your view? If the leaders do the right thing there will be peace. When the

society is in disarray then we can say this is because of the bad governance. A hungry man is an angry man.

12. What do you think of the African Peace Magazine initiative?

It’s a good one that support and promote peace because the government cannot do it all.

13. What is your advice for African immigrants?

They should be sure of their main aim of migrating even before they embark on the j o u r n ey, m a ke n e ce s s a r y research and all what it will take to settle down in a foreign land.

14. Tell us about Human Rights Violations in Africa.

Human right violation is when citizens are not allowed to express their fundamental h u m a n r i g ht . At a l l -t i m e people should not be deprive of their right as humans. There are some fundamental human right such as Freedom of movement, freedom of speech, right to be heard, right to life and so on.

15. Why do you think we have so much inequalities in Africa? Because we have a poor judiciary system. There are so many policies, process and procedures that needs to be modified in the judicial system.

17. Why do we still depend on foreign donations in Africa?

This is because of poor industrialization and infrastructural system. As Africans we must learn to use what we have well. Africa is

AFRICAPEACE 28

blessed with many resources, but we always see whatever is coming from the outer world as superior hence we neglect our own. It is time to wake up and take our place as Africans 18. Why is Africa always in the news for the negative things?

African has a lot of good news to publish, asides that the World likes to portray only our bad sides when it is obvious that every continent have their issues, I also think it is time for we as Africans to also talk well about our continent.

19. Why is so difficult for Africa to unite?

There is so much division and disunity among Africans.

21. What advise do you have for curbing crimes in Africa.

Africa should provide more enabling environment for their young talent to thrive. Africa is blessed with so many young talents that if developed and sponsored will be of great benefit to our continent.

E d u c a t i o n a n d industrialization are key. When people are not idle, crime will be limited. Another advise is that as Africans we need to invest in technology that can help to track down criminals, if intending criminals know they will have no hiding place when they commit crimes they will be discouraged from going into it.

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ICONIC ACHIEVERS AWARD AND CORONATION OF FACE OF BRIDES QUEENS 2021

friend living in the same lodge with me she confronted me in my room telling me that i was the couse, why she had carry over, i was trying to explain to her she slapped me, i have to defend myself. After some days later she came into my room knelt Down and apologize I starting crying and I apologized too, she gave me a hug and we became best of friends again.

3. My Preferred way of dispute resolution is to involve a third party who can tell them their wrongs and who can also serve as a judge. sorry can also go a long way in settling dispute.

My name is Victoria Felix, my favourite food is Garri and vegetable soup. I like singing, dancing and reading. I don't like being taken for granted. I Just acquired a certificate in Business administration and management. Am from Ebonyi State, am 23 years old, Am second to the last born in a family of 7 children.

1.Peace is a stress free state of security and calmness, when there's no fight, war or dispute.

2. My first year in school, i went into a fight with a

Agriculture. And will go into it fully. And i will love to take care of the homeless.

6. 50 million dollars a big opportunity, Agriculture has always being my dream. I will invest into fishery business in a big way. Than support the homeless. I know the pain of not being cared for, and Also support my mum.

I will use the crown to inspire girls if i can do it there can do it too, and protect the girl child mentally physically and emotionally. If opportunity is being given to me i will make use of it effectively to the benefit 4. My advice for the youth is for of people. us to be focused. Going into fight, being arrogant can't bring 7. Am special in a every aspect. I a change that we need in our fought for myself in different society as large. We need to be ways educational, spiritually united, in peace with one and mentally. We can still another and with God we can become what we dream of archive. without waiting for anyone.

Everyone is somebody to me in 5. My plan is to become a a special way. business woman. I love

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My Favourite food vegetables salad, Rice, fried y a m a n d e g g s a u c e .

I like reading, singing, dancing, traveling, l e a r n i n g n ew t h i n g s , m a k i n g f r i e n d s .

I dislike, dishonesty, lies, gossips, backbiting, disloyalty, I dislikes fake people.

Brief Bio data.

My name is Aishatu Umar I am 33 yrs old in July.

I am from Kogi State, Bassa Nge by tribe, am the fouth child among five children, am a graduate of Geography and planning, and a PGD holder in information technology, an a

certified entrepreneur with UNIDO. I am a fashion designer, I love pink colour, I love designs. I enjoy cloths modelling.

to me and telling my business contacts she was no longer going to be attending to them. And I recovered my contact back.

1)What peace mean to me is when I experience a free s t a t e of m i n d w i t h n o conflict or violence with people, it means harmony and friendship to me.

3) my preferred mode of dispute resolution is by calling the parties involved in a meeting to settle the dispute through a mutual agreement to take away the disagreement and come to a positive conclusion, that will benefit 7) what makes me special is all parties involve in the my style and sense of conflict. humour. And I don't follow the crowd.

4) my advice to youth is for them to build up there self 8) what I want the world to esteem and never give up know about me is am an on their dreams and vision. easy going person.

And they should pursue it with all there ability and 9). When given the crown never give up. a n d t h i s o p p o r t u n i ty I 5) my future plan or vision/ intend to invest in Human dream is to build a business capacity building through empire in the fashion world training of youth in the were I can have my style fa s h i o n fi e l d a n d a l s o and brand in fashion which p r o v i d i n g fo r t h e l e s s will be known all over the previlege and carrying out world and to empower of all forms of humanitarian youth with some basic skills services to impact lives. in the fashion industry for

2 ) I have never been in a fight but I have been into a conflict with a friend of mine, I confided in her with my business contacts only for her to go behind me to collect them and start doing business with them, I was so angry when I found out I confronted her and it got into a serious quarrel, w e l a s t e d fo r m o n t h s without talking untill another friend of mine intervened in the matter, by calling the both of us to resolve the matter , and after hearing from both of us she was able to a portion blames. The matter was resolved by she apologizing

Peace is a period of time in w h i c h t h e re i s n o wa r o r violence. It is also the state of living in friendship with somebody without arguing or fighting.

I have never fought but have argued. And it is because as a child of God, my parents and pastor kept singing it in my ear that children of God don't fight.

My preferred way of resolving dispute is by conflict resolution.

My advice for youth is that they should set their priorities first.

My name is Chioma Linda Okeke. I am 24 years old Everybody wants to make and a native of Egbu Umuenem Otolo, Nnewi in money either in the right way or Anambra State. I am the first child of my parent. A wrong way. They should know student of Nwafor Orizu College of education ( that money comes by working. degree program) studying Mathematics in Education. I am a model and want to go deep into it. I want to be a education entrepreneur. To ensure that My favorite food is rice (anyhow it is prepared), I love e v e r y c h i l d h a s q u a l i t y studying (especially mathematics), dancing an e d u c a t i o n a n d t o i n s t i l l exercising. My favorite colour is red. I dislike excellence and good morals.

Also to give good mathematics dishonesty, being yelled at, being left behind.

AFRICAPEACE 32

those who see fashion as there dream. To be an employer of labour.

6) If given 50million I will venture into the fashion business properly, there by expanding with the use of information technology, having a fashion school, training of youth in fashion, helping the orphanage widows and less previlages.

foundation for beginners ( nursery and primary) With 50million dollars, I will set up a mathematics school for beginners Because I have realized that mathematics is one subject that majority people don't like and it is as a result of not having a good foundation in mathematics. I will also support my parents with some of the money. And of course, the less privileges are not exempted.

I am special because I am unique. I believe in myself that I can do all things with God and no one can be me. I am me alone.

With the crown I will teach teachers and parents on how to set up good mathematics foundation for kids in nursery and primary. I will do this by going to schools and conducting seminars

Am a model and will like to go deep into modeling and be an ambassador and an Instagram influencer.

50 million dollars is quite a huge amount of money I will donate some to the opharnage open a big boutique of my own and my m o m a n d d a d w i l l s u re l y benefit from it to and I will open a modeling agency so that my models can advertise clothes in my boutique.

Peace mean handling a though situation in an easy way without violence I have not really been in a fight but I have been into different quarrels and I resolve it by saying am sorry Am special in my own way I because I don't like to see want the world to know that I people sad. am Chelsey am free with everyone I love to have friends I My preferred way of settling take everybody as family I have dispute resolution is to just say an amazing smile and I love the magic word sorry and it will you all am if the crown is given to me I will enlighten others be resolved. what it to be a queen Chukwu Chelsey Stephanie My advice to the youths is to Jollof rice and salad and chicken focus don't feel like is to sweet I love singing and dancing life has its up and downs have I dislike someone yelling at me or being maltreated fun but don't have to much of I am Chelsey Chukwu I am the first child of my parents fun and always remember God and the first daughter am a law student of UNN am in everything.

20 years of age am a model am from Ikeduru a local government in Imo State my best color is red I love My dream is to become a lawyer and a big model an dancing. ambassador of any company

1. Peace is the natural state of society violence is an unnatural s t a t e . Pe a ce i s a s m u c h i n accordance with nature's plan as violence is against it. To crown it all peace is a universal law of nature.

My name is Faith Ayuba, my favourite food is pounded yam and egusi soup. I love reading, also love playing basketball mostly I love fashion my dislikes are discrimination and gossip.

Am Faith Ayuba a residents of Abuja from Kaduna State (LGA) Sanga, Numana by tribe I was born 18 august 2003 am 18 years old am the first daughter and second child of my parent am a photo and video model I model at dream ocean Nigerian am a peach lover and I will love to model with you.

their needs and I will as well visit the hospital to see the need of some people who can't afford their bills lastly there are lot of youth out there who don't have job I'll organized a program for them which is the youth 2. Can't remember any though empowerment so they can learn any handwork of their choice 3. My preferred mode of dispute which will serve them for long resolution is to ask for forgiveness even if I know I was right and I will I will use my crown to help the also say sorry cause the word sorry needy and also empower the can change a lot. youth and if any duty or opportunities is given out to me I 4. My advice to youth out there is will use it wisely so everyone will that do not fear failure but please benefit in it be terrified of regret did not give up and also believe heavily in your Am special in my own aspect and aspirations. my lifestyle because am a lover of all am a girl with great 5. My future dreams is to become determination and I also believe a successful model and a police heavily in my aspirations and I don't take no for an answer officer. because I love an additional 6. If am given 50million dollars I reasons to work harder please w i l l u s e t h e m o n ey fo r t h e give me a reason fo l l ow i n g p ro j e c t w h i c h a re donation of social amenities for the needy and give out palliative Thank you to the needy I will also visit the orphanage home and provide

AFRICAPEACE 33

My name is Farida Idris.

My favorite food are Rice (processed in all kind), pounded yam with Egusi or vegetable soup and lastly beans.

I like reading, making friends and smiling.

I actually dislike lies, partiality and hypocrisy.

I am the First child amongst the 12 children of a polygamous home. I am 22 years old and presently in

m y fi n a l y e a r s t u d y i n g got knot again.

Biological Science in University of Abuja.

My advice to the youths is to be contented with the little they Peace to me simply means the have and engage themselves absence of war, violence, in handwork(s). conflict and injustice.

My future plan is to be a I had once been in a fight with l e c t u r e r a s w e l l a s a n a friend of mine during the time entrepreneur. my SSS 3 days due to jealousy which she had because I was 50 million dollars is a huge always chosen by the teachers amount of money which can be to copy note on the board. On utilized strategically. I will use it that faithful day, she decided to invest in Entrepreneurship, to clean the page I finished Empowerment of the yiuths, writing at that moment, and bringing smiles and Joy to the when I tried to asked what was h o m e l e s s a n d a l s o t h e the matter, she pushed me orphanage is not left behind. which made me fell on a desk and the fight began.

My personality makes me special and I want the world to It was resolved with the help of know that all I love to do is the my classmates who called on bring smiles and Joy to my our attention and asked her to fellow beings. apologize and also asked me Thanks️ to give her some parts of the note to copy on the board and since then, the friendship ties

one to the most sublime feelings of joy and contentment, to the point that there is no stress: just bliss.

Peace is bringing harmony to the world as a whole

Name: Joy Stephen State of origin: Ebonyi State Age: 25years Favorite Food: Rice, Yam, anything home I am the first daughter of my family at of 7 children. i also love modeling, i am an outstanding, i love kids, colors, dancing ,mostly help people .

I love been myself it makes me happy .

What peace means to me is always been yourself no matter were u fine yourself, i believe i will not want to hurt someone, Peace is wholly lacking in conflict; no wars or rumors of wars. Peace is gentle, like warm spring water that nourishes and brings

money till now and we still talk.

3) my mode of dispute resolution i tell u my mind how i feel if u wrong me and correct you, if i am wrong tell me my mistake i will correct myself 2) I had a fight with my friend nobody is perfect. that was 2019, it happen that i give her money to keep for me 4) my advice to youth is to that was N29,000 and i was believe in yourself be strong, suppose to get it back the next courageous, things will go day on the day i ask for the wrong but keep working hard money she say oh girlfriend i it might be at your giving up use 10k out of the money i will time something will happen. give you on monday i was like ok hold it till Monday wen it 5) my plans for the future is to complete, it got to the money i been a business plug, i love didn't ask her till Friday wen i money wish means i love ask she was sorry i use it for my investment my plans is to open brother, i will pay that was how o r p h a n a g e h o m e , f r e e she didn't pay till month end hospitals and give more to the ,during the Christmas time youth because right in now this that was last year, she told me country youth needs someone how her had no job i had to fix t h a t co u l d s u p p o r t t h e i r him to a place still she the not dreams. return the money was got me upset it was wen my friends 6) that question is huge but came back and told me that mind u as a business plug i can she didn't use it for her brother do a lot ,create a band for but she was dupe by 419 i was m y s e l f , s u c h a s e s t a t e mad i call her guess what she business, fashion house, free say that she will not give me school for kids and hospital for the money till i die and i told women, once i am able to do her to take it,because i know this i could make 50million to my god is bigger than her that 100million u make money by was how i forget about the investing on it.

AFRICAPEACE 34

7) what makes me special is that i can do anything to make s o m e o n e h a p p y, s e e i n g people happy is my own happiness, i am also special because i don't take nonsense from anyone i will comfort u and straightening you up me being special also start by me loving myself too because that what is important once u are healthy u can do anything Remember health is wealth 8)What i will do with the crown, that crown means monarch as a symbol of authority, and to govern the society and people around u, the interest of the people is my own that what the crown is for ,that crown is made for humanity and that why i will carry out all duties and impact and also provide for humanitarian services in my time and to let people know if i am a queen u can also been too.

I believe i will do my best to love and respect everyone around me wen i determine to do something i do it, so that crown is not mine but for the society.

harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. Peace is when people are able to resolve their conflicts without violence. And coming together to achieve the societal goal.

2. Never be in fight before.

3. My preferred mode of dispute resolution is by been humble and ask forgiveness even when you are right. If you are a peace loving person never hesitate to say sorry.

My name is Kuje Charity, my favourite food is Abacha and Oha soup. I love cooking I also love fashion and movies. I dislikes people that discriminate, dishonesty, backbiting. My data, my name is Kuje charity am 30 years old. Am from Nasarawa state am the last baby of the house out of 8 children. Am a professional cook and I like modeling.

4. My advice to youth out there is to believe in them self.

For when you believe in yourself others will believe in you. Never see yourself as failure and always keep your dream alive.

and business woman in the world of modeling.

6. If given 50 million I will set up skill acquisition center where the youth and the less privilege once will be employed. I will also make a donation to orphanage.

7. What makes me special is my sense of reasoning and my life style.

8. What I want the world to know about is am one person who never give up in life even when the going get tough.

9. When given the crown I will use this opportunity to invest in human service by using it to empower the youth in the society.

Thanks.

1. Peace is a concept of societal friendship and 5. My future dreams is to become a successful model

(1) peace is a societal friendship will use it to promote my brand and harmony in the absence of and support the Orphanage hostility and violence. and the less privilege out there (2) not really afight but an agurment and the person stop talking to me for sometimes but because I wasn't comfortable with that I went to apologize to her

(7) what makes me special is I do things in my extraordinary ways, I don't leave to please people and am always happy, and would want the whole world to know me as that independent woman who do (3) nothing much but when you her thing in excellent way realize your mistakes just said sorry and I will hug you same goes to me but if you don't hug or hold my hand I will still have this feelings of not being forgive My name Ruth Yohanna, My favorite food is Semovita and Oha soup, I love singing praises, dancing, reading, I love making life easy for people around me, mostly when they need companion, I hate being intimidated by someone, and same goes to them,!! I am Ruth Yohanna am from Kaduna state, Kachia LGA, am Jaba by tribe, am the first child of my parents, not a graduate but hoping to be, I will be 21 of age tomorrow, am working with Gift Launge in Abuja, Royal Blue is my favorite color,!!

(4) my advice to youths is that they should be focus on their dreams and not to give up no matter what life throws at them cos am a living testimony.

(5)my dream is to become a successful business woman that the whole will hear about.

(6) if am given 50million dollars I

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LUSI

Interview XC

V

E

E

Prof. Tunde

Adeniran

I am Tunde Adeniran, am a Nigerian. I was brought up in the southern part of the country though I have lived in different part of Nigeria. As for my career am academic and I have spent about 80 percent of my life in the university to assist them and by virtue of my calling I have also got to appreciate the fact that as an academic you need to involve three things. One is you need to teach as a lecturer, the second is to conduct a research and the 3rd of course is public service.

I have to render some public service, because whatever knowledge you have acquired you have to make your own contribution. Having gone through the

school system and a point people were expecting you give back to the society, whatever knowledge you have acquired then practicalize it that is why those at the ivory tower it is necessary for them I wouldn’t say compulsory but if they have conscience they will know that it is compulsory for them to make contribution to the society, s e n s i t i z i n g t h e m , i n fo r m i n g t h e m , educating them doing almost virtually what you people in the media do. It’s very important and that’s why my colleagues are appearing on radio programs and at times writing some newspaper articles from time to time when there’s issues I need to talk about and when there’s need for media interviews I will do that, and what is also

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more important I believe in working for communities and by the virtue of my own orientation and convictions as a Christian I engage myself in some activities having some involvements apart from the community work I belong to, I mean I am a Christian and I play my part my role as a church member and being active in the church by making sure I am active. And I also try to encourage other Christians to contribute their own quota to represent community.

I also have a lot of friends and relations who I encourage by virtue of their religion to do as much as possible to make sure that we have a better society.

Beyond this I equally try to relate with the younger generation the benefit of insight and encourage the younger generation to take advantage of youths, with the energy they have and of the opportunity of education, I believe they have better education, at least access to education we had, what will take us 6 days to acquire during our time during their own time within one hour they have the information on their palms.

They have more advantage than us but they should use the advantage to better the society.

get engaged to some conversations. And see how we will collectively do something to better the society.

What does peace mean to you?

Peace doesn’t mean the a b s e n ce of wa r, p e a ce entails a lot. Peace is what you have. It defines who you are as an individual and just as I was saying, I try to encourage others, no matter your religious persuasion. We should all work together and make the society better than what it is and I believe that it is not by choice that we are who we are, some of us were born either in Egypt or Ethiopia or some other places no matter were you were born but as a Nigerian we should try and do our very best.

There is no other country in the world that is as endowed as Nigeria, we are blessed with natural resources and God did what is needful in this wonderful land with all the resources we can imagine to find in this country. In terms of human beings all kinds of people potential but whether we don’t use those potential positively or negatively which is why some of us play strong role to make sure that we build peace and as I said earlier this peace is not the So, I try to encourage them, absence of war. People talk relate with them and try to about the peace of mind.

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Peace of mind means that yo u a re a t p e a ce w i t h yourself and contented and in a good relationship with people around you. It also shows that you are doing what you need to do to make sure that the peace is not violated. There is a time I had a book I titled “wars without end” and then, subtitled the conflict Elites and they are for peace and in that formula I try to come with what I believe and of course since you are passionate for peace, I must advice you should continue working for peace and I believe we will have peace.

In my recent book, which is on Africa security challenges, I enlisted things that will help tackle the insecurity challenges we have here in Africa.

From what you highlighted on this your recent book, can you recount and give us brief security challenges in Nigeria which we are facing now which is threatening the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians presently?

For the sake of time I will focus on just three, there is what the lawyers called the bedrock of existence, which i s t h e co n s t i t u t i o n , t h e charting which describes the rights and privileges we have. That is the basis and when it is done in such a way that peace is pantone into it,

the constitution we have in this country is a very faulty constitution because it does not promote peace effectively, so the constitution is number one.

The second one, is the frame work of operations, we have so many human resources and when this human resources is not being utilized, you see Nigerians they go outside the country they excel and that resources outside that will make them feel proud to be called a Nigerian but here in Nigeria it’s a different thing and when things are not working well, it’s taking away your wellness, it’s taking away something from you which should not be so and the material and human resources we have here has not been tabbed. The same way we are not using human resources also not using the material resources it takes some bandits to invade our lands and to take away our diamonds in some of this Zamfara other places and all that, you also see some other things we have in different part of the country being stolen from individuals within or people from outside and in times of our relationship we also see apart from b a n d i t r y, s o m e o f t h e insurgencies we have all over the place, we have kidnapping, the herdsmen disturbing the harmless citizens who are just trying to earn a living. War is not going on but when you say you

want to go and visit your relation in Lokoja, or travel from Zaria you are going to Kafanchan and you are not sure that if you live Adekiti and get to Akure in safety, that is not good for this country.

The 3rd which is the most important, leadership.

Leadership has been the pain of this country even when there is constitution we still have some defects, once we have a good leadership, the right people for leadership things can still work. There will be regular conversation, and interactions within people, how can we make a better situation out of a situation all this best result will come from the best leadership, the right one. Leadership that is sensitive, leadership that appreciates what it means to lead people, once we have the right leadership the sky will bw the beginning of this country. And the white people see it as the black people are condemned not to be able to lead, not to be able to do things right and all other things, so because of what we see in Europe and America etc but we should appreciate the fact that the great and good leaders were of the past and they were leading us in the right direction, someone like Kurre Kuman, and here in Nigeria we had wonderful people like chief Obafemi Awolowo, Amino Kano, Nnandi

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Azikiwe, and so many other people. We are conscious enough to know that we need to do something about our leadership, you see Ahmadu Bello there among those who are part of his tick inner Kakus were not only Fulanis, they were Christians, there were Muslims, Yorubas, Jukuns, there were some Hausas, there were some Kanuris all kinds of people were surrounded by him and within the limitations of his own background, he was able to be able to work together with them and he believed passionately about the north because that was his territory. He believed in giving them development and education.

And of course when you go t o a p l a ce l i ke i n t h e North,you will see that Amino ka n o w h o w a s i n i t i a l l y oriented to the masses, is this country have had that kind of man Amino kano, Nigeria would have been a different story. Because his orientation his ideology Was for people-oriented, so and of course everybody knows now,that his reference points is obafemi awolowo, because of what he stood for that man was working 24/7 fo r t h e p e o p l e h e d i d everything that today if he if he did what he did in the We s t h a s b e e n d o n e nationally Nigeria would have been one of the first world country now we are being less from the third

world to the fourth world going down which is why the younger generation wonder if there is a future for them of course I want to tell them that is a future for them by the grace of God Nigeria will change this country will be better but the key is leadership once we get the right leader that leader will be able to lead the country to the right direction it should go. The leader that will judge the issue of fairness equity and of course taken the right values and pursue pressing within the same continent you can talk about the president of Tanzania who died a long time but he did good things for his country without taking any kobo but he transformed that country, he was moving in the direction years from now if we are not transited Tanzania will be where will all go to Learn leadership leadership makes a difference to the people see what is going on in Rwanda the gentleman there after the experience that that country had he has transformed the place. You g o t o Rwa n d a yo u w i l l wonder whether this country is being led by a black man he is a black man he's an African that is the difference that we are talking about the right leadership and that is why we all need to pray to God to make sure that Nigeria gets better. I believe that by the time we have the younger generation taking

over from our generation we will be able to appreciate and give this country the right leadership.

There's a generational gap, there's a particular generation that has been in power for decades, what do you think is the best solution that we can apply to get the right kind of leaders that will change our story, we have tried the youths, we have the states in Nigeria where we have the youths, we also have this generation that has been leading us for a very long time, so what do you think is the way forward?

How do we get the right leaders?

Our leadership recruitment process is very faulty, that is part of the problem and what you get is a situation in which in some countries when you have the right leader what they do is that they do headcount to replicate themselves to get people who will be able to do some certain things in the past there was a centre for a democratic which the military started people didn't attach much importance to it but the value is is best appreciated when you now see what is happening now what you are doing as at that time is given orientation trying to e n co u ra g e p e o p l e c i v i l liberty and some other issues

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to make people responsible and of course it was more or l e s s t e r m i n a t e d by t h e military itself when they could not see the relevance essence of it which is quite unfortunate I've seen the solution really it is not a question of say let one g e n e ra t i o n l i ve l e t o u t another one come in the older generation that is leaving you will see that you even lament the fact that some of the ones that you felt they're doing bad or they're not any better than somebody that are coming up because some of the younger ones some of them are giving one a nightmare in terms that this character should get to positions of higher authority and people will begin to going to

violence people believe that once one has to succeed himself in power through violence he has to be selfseeking and self-serving it is most unfortunate and the country will be the loser and end most of the people are not allowed to continue what I expect and what I pray for is a situation in which they'll be some what we can call some people call it conscientization or sensitization, it is re a wa ke n i n g p o l i t i ca l consciousness of a situation which you did or unfortunately some of those who are to be drivers but they're not doing anything political parties are supposed to have that as part of their duties mobilizing the people and then raise their levels of consciousness telling them how to do some certain things I believe that those of you in the media you have a lot of work to do and in this country today, the Grace we are leaving has expired, it works as if segments of the society what they're doing they're coming in strong to make sure that that gap is filled and I expect that the little that is being done by the media will be sustained and worktop on a lot really had to be done and when you now combine the forces of the civil society the media and others all work together you will see a lot has to be done to ensure that a new vision that will attract new

leadership new followership and of course new goals. We had a serious problem in this country now the country is very close to depressible I will need to bring it back that will pay this country because there are people who believe that as bad as since our most people do not believe that things are that b a d t h ey d i d n ot eve n appreciate the fact that they are part of the problem and to find his solution to it they had to be part of the solution we need a lot of work we need to do a lot of work we should not give up on this country because the potentials are there and we have some people who are also concerned what is necessary is to the conscious one not to give up we had to appreciate the fact that you make little effort here and there in order to get it right and looking up to the government the state and fe d e r a l l e v e l t o fi n d a solution not the way forward the way forward is to get individuals to come together and we need to do something about it and also get the civil society they must meet come together and order pressure groups alike to mount that pressure on government because there are some certain things that just had to be done by the government which the media cannot do which private citizens cannot do on their own no matter how passionate they

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are about it all this put together from different angles and this and different sources we will be able to bring Nigeria back We h a ve b e e n h a v i n g regional clamours for regional autonomy if I want to take it to the extreme we have been having clamorous for succession now initially it was the iPobs, now we have the Yoruba nation and he seems as if all efforts to douce the tension has not worked what is your take for the future Nigeria is it regional autonomy or it appeared as if the future tense towards everybody going their way are you still believe that Nigeria should still be one the way It is presently structured?

I do not want Nigeria to be t h e wa y I t i s p re s e n t l y structured of restructuring I am also one of those that not necessarily advocating but praying against the Break-Up of this country I pray that God should keep Nigeria together when I was much younger I'm still a young person but when I was much younger I was for Nigeria to expand to bring Benin republic to be part of us even Togo Cameroon Chad and niger republic and three part of us you can even have a United States of Africa as a student I

b e l i eve s o m u c h a n d I worked for it now what we have now if we keep it let us keep it the way it is for Nigeria to go apart will be a shame on Africa on the black race that we cannot even put together and where do you draw the lines the person who is born in kogi where does it grow does it because of the kogi state and now said to himself that he is belonging to a different country his brothers who is in edo those who are in a ekiti his brothers were in kwara how many countries you want to make in Nigeria?

The man who is in kwara where does he belong is it oduduwa or some other country that has no name yet then when you go to the south south you have the itsekiris there, in delta state will they now form a new country? Or they will be joining the Yoruba the all oduduwa people who are the ancestors of and so on and so forth you have all kinds of questions to ask and why are people agitating you do not solve a problem by creating a problem, how are you sure that immediately you have a biafra land you will not have some people who will be marginalizing my people from ebonyi all my people from enugu or you look at oduduwa nation when you create an oduduwa nation, how are you sure that a man who is now in anaworio will not start complaining and

said that oh ijebu man is oppressing him or is marginalizing him or you see the ikaletes or the osuns complaining. So so long as we do not appreciate the reality so long we continue to make blunders the reality is that man particularly those leaders who are in position who do not appreciate Justice as the first condition of humanity who do not know the value of peace the internment of peace the essence of peace they will continue to create conditions for people to be agitating once everybody can be treated equally the dignity of Man is valued and you have equal opportunity it does not matter who you are or where you come from because I'm in a position I do not have to treat my children differently from the way I will treat other people children and they will not have undue advantage over others that is the beginning of equity Justice fairness and once we are able to make government answerable and accountable so whatever they do and they see public office as a trust and you do not consider yourself as having conquered other people so you are in a public office n o b o d y c a n re a c h y o u anymore it is now your father's territory your fathers throne your father's entitlement the sense of personal entitlement are things that really drive a lot

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of people away they want to b e w h e re t h e y c a n b e secured where they will be safe where they can have peace forgetting that peace does not reside where they said they are going peace resides in the mind and what you do and what others do, network and have peaceful environment and peaceful situation, peaceful living, Justice, following the rule of law but the very moment you told that aside you violate them you are creating a disastrous situation.

African states appear to be under the spell of insecurity and under development due to the surge of conflict, compounded by increasing political disorder, economic downturn and dysfunctional social-cultural and political structures in the face of global transformation and compelling demands to meet the challenges of c h a n g e . T h e t ra j e c t o r y shows that poverty, retrogressive governance, underutilized and Mismanaged resource documents, the phenomena of crisis, violence and terror continue to characterize Many of the states while external relations have not been coherent and reconcile to the advantage of the African states.

Tunde Adeniran earned doctorate in Political Science (specializing in international

relations and strategic studies) from Columbia University in the city of New York, USA. He taught at some American universities and worked at the Columbia Bureau of Applied Social Research the hoods on Institute and the United Nations Institute for training and research (UNITAR) Before joining the University of a Ibadan, his Alma Mater where he walked for 20 years before retiring as a professor and head of the apartment of political science.

A luminous thinker who has authored dozens of books, monographs and specialized journal articles, The profundity of his works has established him as one of

African's frontline scholars it international relations and strategic studies. He has also served his country, Nigeria in various top level capacities including being a federal minister of education and ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the federal republic of Germany. A member of the advisory editorial board of four international academy Journals, professor A d e n i ra n i s p re s e n t l y i n t o p r i v a t e consultancy in issues of public policy, strategy planning, peace and security at all levels. He also serves as the pro-chancellor and chairman of council, Afe Babalola university Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) Nigeria.

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African Peace

AFRICAN PEACE AWARDS 2021

A F R I C A N P E AC E AWA R D S 2 0 2 1

Meet the Awardees

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...Providing a friendly pla orm towards achieving peace in Africa

African Peace Magazine are magazines aimed at uplifting the values of peace and unity throughout the continent. It condemns violence and acknowledges those who strive to make the strife disappear. It features pieces, articles and writeups which go a long way in promoting this noble cause of peace. We at African Peace Magazine believe that every sector of a nation contributes in the collective propaganda of a peace country. We have the Magazine, Television and Radio sections. With over 250 million target readers/ views across its portfolio in more than 100 countries, our publications/platforms would be the region’s undisputed market leaders. Our readers and clients represent the elite from business, political and academic circles and are people who have influence over the direction of their countries and companies.

There is no doubt, that Africa is the new frontier! With over a billion people, 12 million square miles and seven out of ten of the World’s fastest growing economics, Af rica is poised for paradigm-shifting growth. Af rican Peace magazine is therefore putting together several events all over the world in conjunction with our strategic partners.

Cutting Edge advertising/ Image making strategies, has assumed a new dimension of wrapping corporate brands around key programs for perfect leveraging.

African Peace Magazine brands , are the first magazine directly targeted at the comprehensive market that cut across all ages, class or status.it has come to bridge the gap – with a magazine that is elevated, mature and intelligent. And is focus on Peace, which invariably covers all other sectors from Fashion to Economics, Politics to Leadership issues, every subject you can ever imagine. “It is thus the prime advertising platform to reach the African market” Available free online and on mobile Apps.

Website: www.africanpeace.org Twitter: www.twitter.com/africanpeacemag Email: africanpeacemag@gmail.com Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/africanpeacemag/ I.G: www.instagram.com/africanpeacemagazine Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/african-peace-magazine-ltd

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWWith

OGBOLE AFRICAPEACE 51

1.

Kindly tell us a little about yourself?

I am Farmer Samson Ogbole, I am into aquiculture (growing of plants without the use of soil), as well as the use of ML and AI in to our irrigation of plants to ensure plants get optimum water and nutrient per time. I am the team lead of Eupepsia Place Limited.

3.

What does Peace mean to you?

Peace is not just the absence of conflict but rather the presence of equitable justice where everyone is first seen, accepted and treated as a human being.

4.

Can education bring about Peace?

Education can – it is about 2.

Te l l u s a b o u t yo u r k n o w i n g o n e s e l f a n d Company/organization? understanding the difference Eupepsia place limited (with that exist amongst us as a trademark name – Soilless unique selling point.

Farm Lab) is a tech enabler for agricultural science. This is very 5.

What’s your best important that I explain what a p p r o a c h t o c o n fl i c t it means to be a tech enabler – resolution? it means we understand that The best is understanding, we technology in itself is not a m u s t l e a r n t o l i s t e n t o solution but rather we use technology as a tool for the problem we have identified, and for us we use technology in our food production to ensure the process and the product of food production is healthy for the farmer, the consumer and the environment, In this we believe as our mantra that since food is a human right then hunger must be a crime, to this end w e e m p l o y aquiculture to ensure there is no seasonal food production b e c a u s e w e understand food production should not be seasonal because hunger is not.

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understand and not just to respond, to understand each other from a place of sincerity, to treat everyone again as human beings. We need to always remember people are in the process of being people hence it is called “being”, we did not come with a manual on what life should be, the rules that are right is what we were privileged to learn and for others who are yet to live what they have heard we must remember it takes a while to imbibe new things. A senior colleague will always say – bad comes naturally, good is a discipline, it is more than a decision, it is a narrow path and we must be patient with people to find the narrow path and stay in it.

6. W h a t i s y o u r p l a n fo r t owa r d s achieving peace in your Country?

I use agriculture as a tool, we cannot truly express love without food in our stomach, so food. Food is one thing that crosses cultural divides, religious boundaries, politics and every other line that divides. Food is acceptance, it is a language needing no interpreter, food is the fundamental for life, it is the fulcrum of wars, battles, etc. So my plan for peace is ensure hunger is not a factor 7.

Do you believe that technology is

place honour on people.

10.

Why is fashion always in the new?

People change, time and seasons happen to everything.

helping to make the world more peaceful?

Like I said before, technology is an enabler, so the question isn’t what technology can do but rather what it is deployed to do. The same knife that helps to cut tough things (meat, food etc) can also be a weapon in a murder situation, thus the question then isn’t what the knife can do but rather about what the intention of the holder of the knife is. Technology is neither good nor bad, the one who wields it determines it merits and demerits per time.

8.

Tell us about your farm and how technology is impacting the farm Like earlier stated we are using technology to ensure proper irrigation and the use of AI and ML helps to ensure we measure the correct exudates from the plants per time which regulates how much water is released per time for the plant uptake via the roots. Same applies to sensors that help to determine nutritional requirement per time for the plant. The impact is

11.

What do you think of Non-governmental organizations in peace keeping?

They will do what they can based on the genuineness of their intention and understanding of the problem.

There is for every problem the obvious cause and the real cause, how well they perform depends on how equipped they are to know the actual (real) cause as opposed to trying to tackle the obvious cause.

predictability, combined with aquiculture, there is consistency is production to eliminate seasonal based food production, and we are able to take advantage of the vertical space as well as reduce input cost without sacrificing output 12.

African leaders are quality and quantity. renowned for holding onto 9.

What advice do you power at all cost, what is your view? have for the youth?

Find yourself, it is the first step, It is not the fault of the leaders, in finding yourself you don’t as my question is – how many need to have the whole picture parents will give inheritance to from day 1, you may not know their kids while still alive? It is the end of 50 years from not in our culture to hand over today, but know who you are, until we pass on hence we what you want to be – not have monarchs too old to career, not a title but a state move but still in power. So our eg I want to be happy, I want culture only filtered into our to be able to afford 3 square politics, today how many old meals, I don’t want to be poor, I CEOs, religious leaders’ etc want to have a legacy etc. step down for the younger Then every decision should be generation? In our universities, guided by this, volunteer – how many professors let go of learn the power in this early to their classes for the younger know quickly what you love ones to handle, how many will and what you want. In all of allow the junior lecturers’ these, decisions should not be names to come first in a solely guided on the merit of publication before theirs money, then learn to place considering they need it more? value on people, value people In music, sports, etc how many especially those who cannot of the older generations let go help you, value them and also of their platforms for the AFRICAPEACE 53

younger ones to come up? To point fingers to the politicians seems the obvious but in every other area we are comfortable with holding on to power, authority, etc 13.

What do you think of the African Peace Magazine initiative?

I am just getting to know of the magazine so it is too early to give a sincere feedback 14.

What is your advice for African immigrants?

Live as Africans, live knowing you are more than a label, you are more than what you have been defined to be, more than the boundaries and limitation, you are a human being, so live.

Don’t be under any pressure to be the continent’s hero either, just live, life will in time write your story on how you lived.

Live to what you know is right, d o n’ t l i ve fo r a reve n g e , retaliation or correction of notions, because in 100 years, what we know to be right might be wrong, what we know to be wrong might be right and maybe life will remain same with same tenets and values or everything and everyone will be wrong – so just live to what you know is right.

fundamental human right violation. In a world with so much production that a whole lot still goes to bed hungry, a lot have nutrient-less food, a lot has malnutrition!

valuation of the funds, the empathy behind the giver, and the subservient mentality of the receiver who believes they are at the mercy of others, and thus has refused to look inwards but rather would 16.

Why do you think we rather continually stoop to be have so much inequalities in pitied.

Africa Why is Africa always in This is not an African thing, 19. inequalities exist because of the news for the negative c u l t u r e , c i v i l i z a t i o n , things constitution, religion etc, there The local media is always are a lot of fundamental things p u s h i n g t h e n e g a t i v e that has already put a divide narrative, the populace has and we struggle daily to try to been told to believe and solve the fruits of the problem expect the negative. If Nigeria while the root causes take had same number of mass d e e p e r r o o t s a n d n e w shootings as the USA, it would meanings. be covered like someone gets shot daily, if we had the 17.

What do you think of electoral system of voting the African Rights Watch where the eventual winner of presidential elections was not Television initiative I am just hearing about them decided by the masses – if this and thus can’t speak about were an African phenomenon, it will be called barbaric and them. every colorful term in the book.

18.

Why do we still depend If an African country was o n fo r e i g n d o n a t i o n s i n banned from the Olympics A f r i c a . W h a t i s t h e and the nation formed a l t e r n a t i ve f o r f u n d i n g another coalition to compete like Russia did, it will be a big locally? deal and the world over won’t $1 will do more than N1, the

15.

Tell us about Human Rights Violations in Africa As a magazine whose job it is to cover this, I can only speak of food violations, if we see food as a human right, then it means for everyone wasting food, throwing away resources, contributing to hunger through food fraud, food discrimination etc – you are a criminal, and this is the

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hear the last of it. I am not s a y i n g b a d t h i n g s d o n’ t happen in Africa but compared to the western world, ours is minimal. We do not have the record of worst presidents, politicians, scammers, and many other colourful atrocities in the world, our media has however joined the wagon of those who put our efforts down and sing our every error and the western media piles on this. We must be ready to push our own narrative the way the English premiership push their league as the best in the world despite not producing the best footballer in decades, the way the world pushes their being best in Olympics despite the black athletes alone getting over 200 medals for other western countries, we need to push our own and this we must do unapologetically without seeking permission.

20.Why is so difficult for Africa to unite.

It is not in our culture to unite but rather from young, comparism and competition has always been the game, the recent humorous jollof war between Ghana and Nigeria comes to mind. We must start be retraining the next generation on why unity is the new cool. We can’t just pick a concept that does not align with our very nature, even amongst siblings, rivalries were the norm, as parents picked their preferred so we need to also remember this in the bigger picture. We must learn new ways to identify d i ffe r e n c e s s o i t c a n b e celebrated, we must create

new rules of play where we are whole even when not equally represented at times but these processes must be such that it is transparent.

21.

African Health care sector is in crises any way out?

We must start from our food systems, we cannot be healthier than our food system as a nation, Hippocrates said let food be thy medicine and medicine they food. The start point is food and not drugs.

22. What advise do you have for curbing crimes in Africa.

We must still start from food and equity, crime is borne out of hunger and the feeling of being left out, not getting what is deserved etc, We need to rethink our value systems that gives the credence of entitlement, we need to relook at our faith preachers who preach blessings without work, increase without toil, wealth without sweat etc, our very many motivational speakers who preach goals without process, share testimonies of break through without the toil.

I always say whatever success formula you cannot share is not a success, it is stolen! A success that cannot be taught to be replicated is shady. SO this is a 2 edge sword – from the successful and the yet to be; our value system needs to be checked, the make it quick and succeed overnight syndrome need to be curtailed, for the kids it should be smacked out early. We should learn to give appraisal for efforts rather than just result so they know early the

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end does not justify the means!

2 3 .We h a ve c a l l s fo r successions in some parts of Africa, what advise do you have for us.

Succession is nothing if the later will be same or worse than the former, we need to first look at the content of who is next, and before this nations need to today define who they want to be, where they want to be and then find a fit. In every work place with success, the v i s i o n c o m e s b e fo r e t h e mission, and this comes before the goals, objectives and these define the roles before a ca n d i d a t e i s p i c ke d . Th e nation needs to agree where they want to go then you can use the destination to find who Is fit to be this and that. To say you will construct good roads, provide medicare, good schools, provide safe environment and clean water etc, these should not be promises made to get into power, these are fundamental human rights, so to promise people their rights is an insult to the people and the position.

Those who seek for power should be able to show they have the basic capacity to dream and think!

24. Any other thing you may wish to add Food production should not be seasonal because hunger is not! If food is a right, hunger is a crime!

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