A university teacher,Dr Ayo Hammedof the Department of Guidance and Counselling, University of Ibadan, has identified interaction with community members through recreation and communal activities; making peace among groups of people and within individuals as various ways of promoting peace for healthy living through holistic perspective in various communities.In the same vein, the Director of Justice Development and Peace Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, Reverend (Father) Ezekiel Owoeye, said that peace was the ultimate desire of all and sundry which all human beings yearn for.Dr Hammed and Reverend Ezekiel, made the submissions respectively recently at a seminar on 'Inter-religious dialogue' entitled 'Call to peace for a healthy living,' organised by the Catholic Archdiocese, as guest speakers.Hammed said that to be at peace with oneself, there was the need to communicate and negotiate effectively; cope with different situations positively; exhibit emotional stability; demonstrate skills of fairness and shared responsibilities and the development of empathy and respect for gender among others, while he also identified life skills of knowing and living with oneself such as self-awareness; creative thinking; assertiveness; effective communication and self confidence.While saying that the Nigerian communities had been dominated by acts of violence; insecurity; inequalities; exclusion and discrimination; based on ethnic, tribal, political, religious, gender and social-economic factors, he said that there was the need to appreciate and adjust to the culture of peace in communities and appreciate individual role towards building peace.Reverend Ezekiel on his part, said that the quantum of ammunition in the possession of militants of the Niger Delta and professionalism displayed was amazing and said that new acts of violence were emerging daily, adding that there were no permanent solutions to the Niger Delta violence despite the huge resources invested in the amnesty scheme in the communities.The cleric said that the lingering crisis in Jos, Plateau State, in which hundreds of people lost their lives, churches, mosques, private homes and properties destroyed was not abated.'While Nigeria was still grappling with the Jos and Niger Delta problems, there emerged the Boko Haram, which had foisted a reign of terror on the North-East of Nigeria,' he said.He, however, urged aggrieved Nigerians to always resolved their grievances through negotiation; while religious and community leaders were urged to encourage their adherents to follow the path of peace; doctrines of religious be taught, preachers should be trained; government to be more proactive.
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