The Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Chief Patrick Ukah, has emphasized the need for peace and reconciliation for sustainable growth and development of any society.
Chief Ukah, who stated this in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, during an enlarged reconciliation meeting of Umuomake village, said that he was pained that there have been unnecessary divisions in the village for several years.
The Basic and Secondary Education Commissioner stated that he decided to broker unity and reconciliation as well as bring the two factional leaderships in the village into one fold in order to strengthen their unity at all times.
Speaking in their separate remarks, some stakeholders in the village, including Ogbueshi Clement Ukah, Elder Mike Anazia and Rev. Harrison Onyemali, who said that they were happy to have come together for the final reconciliation among the people of the village, commended the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education for his inspiring role in uniting them.
They noted that his decision to bring Umuomake village together into one indivisible entity was apt and appreciated.
While calling on youths of the community to always respect their elders and shun acts that could bring shame to the area, Ogbueshi Clement Ukah and Rev. Onyemali said that any division among them would impact negatively on the village.
In his remarks, the Special Assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Land Security and Waterways, Hon. Chibueze Aniemeke, thanked Chief Ukah for midwiving the reconciliation in the village and the elders for throwing their weight behind the Commissioner’s peace initiative.
Aniemeke advised that whenever there is any misunderstanding among them, it should be brought to the Izu-Umuomake to resolve amicably rather than allow it to escalate.
The Chairman of Umuomake Youths, Comrade Aniagwu Okolie, described the reconciliation as an act of God, adding that peace and unity were one of the greatest weapons for societal growth.