REPORTER: PEACE AGBO
The Abia Government has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining security and peaceful coexistence across the state.
Governor Alex Otti stated this during the launch of the National Community Violence Reduction Programme, NCVRP, in collaboration with the Rotary Action Group For Peace, RAGFP, Abia Branch, District 9142 at the Government House Umuahia.
The Governor who was represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ukoha Ukoha, commended the club for its humanitarian interventions and consistent efforts toward promoting peace.
According to the Governor, the programme is an initiative evolved by the Federal Government
in partnership with a Foundation and RAGFP, Nigeria Chapter is being implemented in Abia in collaboration with the state Government.
Governor Otti said that peace and security remained indispensable to development and democratic governance, noting that no meaningful progress could be achieved in the absence of security.
He pointed out that the initiative aligned with his administration’s policy direction, particularly its zero-tolerance stance on criminality and recalled that on assumption of office, he declared a state of emergency on security, with a firm resolve that no part of Abia would be ceded to criminal elements.
In his speech, the State Coordinator of the Rotary Action Group for Peace, Abia Branch, District 9142, Mr Sunny Megwara, said peace remains indispensable to meaningful development and national stability.
He explained that the programme was designed to tackle the root causes of violence by strengthening communities, promoting resilience and preventing conditions that breed conflict.
Mr Megwara urged residents to embrace the principles of positive peace as part of efforts to strengthen peace building and conflict prevention in the state.
