The Director of Adeboye Centre for Peace and Good Governance (ACPGG), Prof. Femi Ayoade, has said that Peace Studies can pave the way for a more prosperous, inclusive, and harmonious Nigeria. He made this assertion during the second edition of the Adeboye Centre for Peace and Good Governance colloquium recently held at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
Giving his address at the one-day seminar aimed at exploring the different paths to globalized peace practices that align with the Centre’s core mandate, Prof. Ayoade stated that the key to addressing the problem of national development and social cohesion requires a dynamic approach to integrate principles from peace studies.
Delivering the keynote address at the event, an erudite professor of peace and conflict studies from the Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, Professor Isaac Olawale Albert noted that the investment in Peace and Conflict Studies will go a long way in elevating the status of Redeemer’s University in the comity of universities. He made this assertion at the colloquium themed ‘Peace Studies and Practice in a Globalizing World.’
“Rating of universities is intertwined with politics and funding of peace-related courses,” he said. Professor Albert, who shed light on the systemic challenges faced by institutions striving to promote peace education, described globalization as the world being reduced to a ‘global village.’ He referred to how the war between Russia and Ukraine has affected the supply of grains to other countries of the world.
He further noted that while conflicts span from global to intrapersonal levels, Intrapersonal peace is the state of peace within man himself. “Although the intrapersonal level of peace is the smallest, it can generate a global problem,” he said. According to Prof. Albert, the intrapersonal level of conflict is the most dangerous level of conflict because it worsens when resources are scarce, divergent values, psychological needs, and a communication breakdown, thereby causing a breakdown of law and order, which can act as a gateway to corruption and discord. “The enemy can only crawl into a country or continent through conflict,” he concluded.
In his remark, the Vice-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Prof. Shadrach Akindele, noted the timeliness and relevance of the topic due to the present complexities of issues in different nations of the world and the fear of the outbreak of World War III. He emphasized that the pursuit of peace transcends individual interests and national boundaries.
Present at the event were the Registrar, Mrs Mojisola Oje; Provost, College of Post-Graduate Studies, Prof. Olalere Adeyemi; The Director, Directorate of Politics and Governance in RCCG and also the Pastor-in-charge of Region 43, Osogbo, Nigeria, Pastor Timothy Olaniyan; Deans of Faculties; other Staff and Students of the University.