By Our Reporter
At its 10th annual conference press message by CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, CEO/National Coordinator, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, said that the organization was collaborating with key agencies to ensure that Justice is done to the theme of this year’s annual conference. He added that CEPEJ was in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in politics, government, civil society, as well as international organizations, to look at current issues, statistics and measures towards developing Africa.
Read full text dubbed Abuja 2019:
Gentlemen of the Press, other distinguished personalities here present.
May I thank you all for your presence; it is my pleasure to welcome you to CEPEJ’s operational office here in Abuja.
We are particularly delighted to see our colleagues and CEPEJ’s partners from the government and international agencies here today. We have in these gathering very distinguished personalities as representatives of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes, UNODC, the National Orientation Agency, NOA, as well as the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, IPCR.
CEPEJ is collaborating with these key agencies to ensure that Justice is done to the theme of this year’s annual conference, which is “the development implications of insecurity and corruption for Africa”.
CEPEJ is happy to hinge this year’s conference on pertinent issues affecting Africa’s development in modern times. As a frontline advocacy NGO for sustainable development goals, CEPEJ will continue to champion conferences and activities that will enhance quality living for the people.
It is a common knowledge that corruption and insecurity are global challenges that require global solutions. It is for this reason that CEPEJ is in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in politics, government, civil society, as well as international organizations, to look at current issues, statistics and measures towards developing Africa.
We are aware that government is saddled with the responsibility of combating corruption and insecurity, which is the mantra of the current administration, and we acknowledge the fact that government cannot do it all alone.
One thing is clear, words are not enough. Just by simply saying that we need development in our countries, communities, towns and villages will not make it happen. We need multilateral efforts more than ever before to achieve development.
This is why in line with our vision and mission as a not-for-profit NGO with limited resources, we have self-funded this conference so as to reach out to participants and facilitators who will use their expertise to highlight focused areas and ensure that the different perspectives of the topic are captured and documented.
This will then be issued as a communiqué for use in policy reforms by all stakeholders and to serve as a benchmark for measuring growth and development. We need to be effective in asserting our values and in addressing the root causes of corruption and insecurity which include but are not limited to fear, mistrust, anxiety and anger.
Participants invited for the conference cut across students from secondary and tertiary institutions, Youth Corps members, the Nigerian military and paramilitary bodies, government and its agencies, as well as other CSOs and NGOs.
Expected keynote speakers are the Honourable Minister for Justice and Attorney General, Malami Abubakar and his counterpart from the Ministry of Interior His Excellency, Rauf Aregbesola and the lead paper will be presented by team leads from UNODC, while day two is equally loaded with speakers.
Date: 12th November 2019, Venue: Nigeria Air force Conference Centre, Abuja. Time: 10am prompt
CEPEJ will also present awards to deserving individuals and bodies selected from within Africa by an independent committee comprising academics, researchers and professionals from the different geo-political zones of Nigeria. We do believe that the selected individuals represent the change we desire to see in our systems, therefore, honouring them will take others in the direction that leads to growth and development for all.
That is why we are much more committed to this year’s edition of CEPEJ’s 10th annual conference, and making sure that it provides a platform for action.
It is worthy of note to mention that CEPEJ is fully committed to the implemention of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and in line with this CEPEJ is building bridges of Peaceful coexistence through the use of sports to promote unity between two rival ethnic groups in Delta State, the IJAWS of Warri and their ITSEKIRI neighbours in Delta State, to mark the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF TOLERANCE, on the 16th of November, 2019, at Ugborodo an itsekiri town and Benikrukru an Ijaw Community. Both communities are hosting the second edition of this year Ijaw/Itsekiri Peace and Unity Cup football tournament from on 16th to 30th of November, 2019.
Gentlemen of the Press, I wish to pause here and allow our partners to speak briefly on the conference ahead of us as significant stakeholders.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Comrade Sheriff Mulade, CEO/National Coordinator, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ
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