united nations mark peace day in style

Ronald Kayanja, Director, United Nations
Information Centre, Lagos




The 2015 International Day of Peace has been
marked in Lagos with fanfare as youths,
government and NGO partners trooped to the street
to ‘Walk for peace’.
The peace day observance, which started with a
press briefing, was addressed by the Governor of
Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode who was
represented by the Solicitor General and
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mrs.
Funlola Odunlami and the Director of the United
Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos, Mr
Ronald Kayanja.
The conclusion of the press briefing marked the
beginning of an exciting ‘Walk for Peace’ as
organised by UNIC in Lagos and Citizens’
Mediation Centre (CMC).
Delivering his message on the theme for 2015
observance – ‘Partnerships for Peace – Dignity for
All’, the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-
moon, called on all warring parties to lay down
their weapons and observe a global ceasefire.
“To them I say: stop the killings and the
destruction, and create space for lasting peace.”
The Secretary-General who was represented by the
Director of UNIC Lagos further said: “There is no
group more poised to help realize this dream than
today’s young people. They are part of the largest
generation of youth in history, more aware and
connected than any before.”
Speaking earlier, Governor Ambode thanked the UN
Information Centre for the partnership and pledged
that the CMC would adopt the International Day of
Peace as an annual event to propagate the ethos
of peaceful co-existence among residents in Lagos
State.
Flagged off by Mrs Odunlami and led by Mr
Kayanja and the CMC Director, Mrs Oluwatoyin
Odusanya, the road show started from the Lagos
State Secretariat Alausa, Ikeja through Obafemi
Awolowo Way and terminated at Ikeja-under-bridge
where a citizens’ mediace dayation session was
held by the CMC, an agency of the Lagos State
government under the supervision of the Ministry
of Justice.
The CMC serves as a non-adversarial dispute
resolution Centre using mediation mechanism in
dispensing justice fairly and speedily to the
satisfaction of both parties.
With participants numbering over 100 and clad in
branded T-shirts, dancing to contemporary songs,
to the admiration of members of the public, the
‘Walk for Peace’ road show stopped intermittently
at intersections to give room for professional
dancers to entertain while leaflets with peace
building messages were shared with members of
the public.