Delta State Government has said it will continue to prioritize peace in governance through the instrumentality of the MORE Agenda of the Oborevwori administration.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Chief Edwin Uzor, stated this on Sunday, in Warri, in a keynote address at the commemoration of the 2025 International Day of Peace, with the theme: “Act Now for a Peaceful World”.
Chief Uzor, a Justice of the Peace (JP), said Enhanced Peace and Security was a key component of the MORE Agenda because without peace there could not be any meaningful development, no shared opportunities, no enduring reform and no sustainable security.
He noted that the government’s vision aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16, with focus on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, ensuring equal access to justice, and building effective, transparent, and accountable institutions at all levels.
“Our office, the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, was established to ensure that we implement the policies of His Excellency, the Governor to ensure that Delta State remains a haven of peace despite our multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural diversity.
“Our mandate is to design, implement, and advise government on peace building and conflict resolution strategies that will guarantee lasting peace. Our mission is to proactively identify threats to peace, address them before they escalate, and promote peaceful coexistence everywhere in Delta State. Our objectives include to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts through dialogue, sensitization, advocacy, and enlightenment.
“We strive to ensure that our communities imbibe the culture of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. We also try as much as possible to entrench the value of strengthening inter-ethnic and inter-communal harmony, to build a stronger, inclusive, peaceful and a prosperous Delta State.
“We pursue the achievement of these objectives through conflict prevention. We abide by the principles of Community Early Warning and Early Response
(CEWER) system. We facilitate conflict resolution through dialogue, mediation, and reconciliation, as we are guided by the principle of live and let live and give and take.
“We utilize community engagement through grassroots enlightenment and outreach to foster intra and inter community harmony. To achieve our mandate, members of the Peace Team verify petitions, listen to all parties in dispute, conduct thorough investigations and then go on to facilitate dialogue among the parties involved”, Chief Uzor explained.
According to him, the outcomes of their findings and investigations were always communicated to government with utmost clarity, and while applying the principles and strategies for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), steps were taken to uphold the principles of fairness, truth, and inclusiveness.
He said with the unwavering support of the State Governor, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, the Office of the Special Adviser and the Peace Team had mediated disputes, prevented violence, and restored unity across communities, stressing that the prevailing peace in Delta was not by chance, but as a result of deliberate peace efforts, which had provided fertile ground for investment, growth, and the Governor’s vision of prosperity for All Deltans.
“You will all agree with me that His Excellency, the Governor, has kept the promise made in his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, that the peace enjoyed in the state in recent years will be sustained because this has been the case in the past two years of this administration.
“This is in actualisation of the Enhanced Peace and Security component of the MORE Agenda. This year’s International Day of Peace reminds us once again that peace is the bedrock of sustainable development. Our peace walk in Warri today is not only about joining the global community in advocating peace but also about sensitizing our people to the monumental projects taking place in Warri and its environs.
“These projects — from roads and stormwater drainage to the Enerhen Flyover, the Warri Township Stadium, and modern health facilities like the Renewed Hope Mother and Child Hospital — are made possible because peace has created the enabling environment. More peace means more development, and where peace reigns, unity and progress naturally follow”, the Special Adviser added.
Chief Uzor said under the visionary leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the state was progressing steadily through the MORE Agenda; from urban renewal to the Udu Harbour Market, development was transforming Warri to a modern city of promise, attributing the strides to the prevalence of peace.
“This is why the Office of the Special Adviser on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution remains committed to sustaining harmony across the state. Indeed, peace is both our collective duty and the true foundation of prosperity and hope.
“As we mark the 2025 International Day of Peace, I call on Deltans to reject violence in all its forms. We should shun hate speech and intolerance. We should choose dialogue, reconciliation, and unity.
Let us remember that peace is not a distant aspiration but a daily responsibility. The theme of this year’s International Day of Peace, ‘Act Now for a Peaceful World’, reminds us that peace cannot wait; it must begin with each of us, in our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.
“Let us commit to dialogue over division, reconciliation over resentment, and unity over conflict. Together, under the MORE Agenda, we can build a Delta State that is secure, inclusive, and prosperous for today and for generations to come”, he concluded
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