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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), religious groups, and the creative industry have staged a peace walk as the six-month emergency rule in Rivers State draws to a close.
The convener of the peace march, the Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI), declared that state has experienced relative peace within the period under review.
The pronouncement was contained in a letter to the Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd), during the joint peace walk in Port Harcourt.
Reading the open letter shortly before handing it to the Senior Special Adviser to the state Sole Administrator, Hector Igbikiowibo in Government House, leader of RPI, Obinna Ebogidi, urged the state administrator to consolidate on the gains made during the transition period, particularly in strengthening peace across the state.
He pointed out that the peace walk was organized to raise awareness on the need to sustain harmony in Rivers State.
Ebogidi, in the letter, also reaffirmed the groups’ commitment to partnering with the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to further entrench peace and stability.
The letter partly reads: “On behalf of the Rivers Peace Initiative, civil society leaders, faith leaders, professional groups, entertainers, market leaders, and ordinary citizens who have walked here today under the banner of “United for Peace, United for Rivers,” we wish to first express our sincere gratitude to you for your stewardship during this emergency transition period.
“History will remember that in a time of heightened tension and uncertainty, you were entrusted with the sacred responsibility of holding the peace.
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“As your tenure as Sole Administrator draws to a close in the coming days, our people are at delicate crossroads. Rivers State has endured seasons of division and conflict that have torn at our collective fabric.
“Yet, in this brief window, we have seen that peace is possible. We have seen that when leaders exercise restraint and when citizens choose dialogue over violence, the atmosphere changes.
“Our gathering today is not political. It is deeply moral. It is a call for vigilance, reconciliation, and unity, as we transition back to democratic governance under His Excellency, the Governor.
“We stand here to affirm that peace must not be sabotaged, not by political actors, not by vested interests, not by anyone. The fragile calm we enjoy today must be consolidated into a lasting foundation for tomorrow.”
On his part, Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria NYCN in Rivers State, Nwisabari Bani, pledged the support of young people in preserving peace in the state.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for his intervention in resolving the political crisis that previously threatened stability in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Defense for Human Rights and Democracy, Clifford Solomon, appealed to political stakeholders to uphold and sustain the prevailing peace.
