The District Governor, Rotary International District 9111, Rotarian (Prince) Henry Akinyele has laid the foundation stone for Rotary Peace Centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.
The District Governor (DG) while delivering his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, September 18, 2024, thanked the Immediate Past District Governor, Rotarian (Rtn) Dr Oluwole Kukoyi for his initiative which led to the establishment of a fully- funded certificate course in Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies through partnership with the university last year.
According to the District Governor who is fondly called The Prince of Impact, “This initiative- The Rotary District 9111 Peace Building and Conflict Prevention Initiative aims to equip students, community leaders, and professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to build peace and resolve conflicts.”
While highlighting those who can participate in the programme to include undergraduates from all disciplines, early career personnel in social work, security agencies, civil society, and human rights organizations, as well as community leaders, the District Governor noted that the groundbreaking exercise marks a significant milestone and is the beginning of a journey to promote peace, understanding, and conflict resolution in Nigeria and West Africa and the world as envisioned by Rotary International.
He revealed that his desire to erect a dedicated structure for the programme was fueled by the increase in number of applicants with each batch.
“To further enhance our efforts of this initiative, we are building a state-of-the-art Rotary Peace Centre within the university campus. This Centre will serve as a hub for thought leadership on peace-building activities, providing a dedicated venue for the course and future initiatives”, the District Governor said.
He disclosed that the estimated cost of building and equipping the Centre would be N150,000,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) using direct labour with the help of Rotarian volunteers. He further estimated that the construction of the Rotary Peace Centre will be completed within 9 months from the day of groundbreaking and will be commissioned latest by May 2026.
He called on all Rotarians, friends, corporate organizations and well-wishers to support the cause to promote peace and conflict prevention in Nigeria and West Africa, adding that “peace is not just the absence of conflict but the presence of justice, understanding, and harmony."
The Vice Chancellor (VC), Professor Ayodeji Agboola in his remarks, appreciated the Rotary district for such a laudable contribution to fostering peace and unity in our community starting from the first-of-its-kind peace studies programme to the Peace Centre building which has just commenced.
The VC revealed that the university used to have problems with cattle rearers around the campus but as soon as the peace studies programme began, it stopped because the programme helped the university understand better ways of mediating with them. “This is the first NGO that will come to us and do something like this”, he said.
The Immediate Past District Governor, Dr Oluwole Kukoyi expressed his excitement saying, “The vision that was born one year ago is getting stronger. The vision started with just sponsoring students for a three months course in Peace Building, Conflict Prevention and Security Studies and we have done over three cohorts. Now our current District Governor, Prince Henry Akinyele has taken it to a great and laudable height.”
The Chairman of the Building Committee, Past Assistant Governor, Tunde Olaniyan expressed optimism that the building project will materialize within the scheduled period of time.
Present at the event were District Governor-Elect, Rtn Bukola Bakare who was ably represented by her spouse, Rtn Lateef Bakare, the District Governor Nominee, Rtn Samuel Ayetutu Phd, District Rotaract Representative, Halilu Awesu, members of the DG’s core team, members of the Peace Building Committee, The Editor of The Governor’s Newsletter, PAG Azuh Arinze, fellow Rotarians and top management of the University.