By Don Peter Okoro
The UNITED NATIONS Peace and Positive Living Awareness Centre under the Leadership of Amb. Dr. Festus Ozioma Ozoemena Ph.D. on Saturday the 17th of May 2025 stormed Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom State for a Peace Conference and to Inaugurate the South South Regional Chapter, in celebration of the 2025 World Peace Day and to Appoint, Award and Investiture New Peace Advocates and Ambassadors.
The Event which saw the Govenors of the South South Region send in their Powerful Delegations and Representatives was very massive. It started on a good note with the Chairman of the occasion, Amb.Sunday G. Sampson saying that he is humbled and excited to chair this powerful occasion as it speaks directly to peaceful co–existence and positive living among people irrespective of colour,race,or religion.
He pointed out that the Peace and Positive Living Awareness Centre provides a platform for the actualization of the laudable initiative of Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) of the UNITED NATIONS.
In his words: “”Peace and Positive Living are imperative in a world currently plagued by insurgency, war, criminality and general insecurity. They are even more compelling locally and internationally where Nations are engaged in quasi racist separatist policies and supremacist transactional economic diplomacy. What brutal capitalism terms survival of the fittest, leaving the vulnerable communities and developing countries starved of interventional and humanitarian funds and programs that promote peace and positive living.””
In an interview with the Press shortly after the ceremony, Amb. Dr. Festus Ozioma Ozoemena spoke on what informed the event.
His words:””This year is a Special Year for us as an Organization. Every step and every move we are taking is very strategic. Be it at the local,zonal,state, regional, national and International or global levels.””
He continued:””In February this year, we inaugurated the Anambra State Executive Members with orientation, workshop and training. After that, we featured in what is called CSW 69. That is United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Session 69 at the International Headquarters of the United Nations in New York USA.
it was a high level Engagement, Meeting and Conference on Global Peace and Sustainable Development focussing on Women Issues, Women Empowerment, Gender Equality and the Girl Child.
After that, we had the first National Program in Nigeria that held at the National Merit Award House, Aguiyi Ironsi Road, Maitama Abuja on the 27th of March 2025. That was just about a week after the UN,- USA International Conference which ended on the 21st of March. I left JF Kennedy International Airport in New York on the 24th and arrived Abuja Nigeria on the 25th of March to attend the program on the 27th of March.
It featured prominent personalities from the country and overseas. The Chairman of the occasion was the retired Inspector General of Police and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission Chief Sir Dr. Mike Mbama Okiro who happens to be the Chairman of our Advisory Council.
It was a powerful and very impactful event and people came from all over Nigeria and abroad. And all the people who came testified that it is worth it as they took the message of peace to their respective places. And here we are in May, here in Uyo Akwa Ibom State. What we are having in Uyo is not just a program for Akwa Ibom State, but the Inaugural Ceremony for the South South. We know that South South is very strategic as far as this country, Nigeria is concerned. And Akwa Ibom is part and parcel of the South South.
It is an Oil rich State and part of the Niger Delta and very enterprising in terms of human resources and mineral deposits.They have also had their fair