The people of Odochala community of Ujeh ward in Ibaji Local government Area of Kogi state have called for peaceful co-existence and conflict resolution in the community and also frowned against allegations portraying them as conflict initiators by those who hate them.
A statement by the National Chairman of Odochala Community Association, Joseph Machonu, described the people of Odochala community as peace loving and industrious people with high regard for harmonious co-habitation.
“We have never been involved in any communal clashes with any community which had led to fighting for more than fifty years now. The people of Odochala are intelligent people, we are truthfully courageous. We can talk constructively and intelligently”, the statement stated.
Lamenting their ordeal and the crises meted on their community they called for peace and stability to sustain good neighbourliness.
“Our community has been ravaged with coastal and natural forces in which we had lost a total of one hundred and eighty farmlands, a community school and a health care Centre. We have been contending with these crises for more than forty years now. The crises led us to begging other communities for land to settle with. No community in Ujeh ward has been able to accommodate us. We gave everything we had but to no avail with these natural disasters we had lost all hopes”.
They however, called for peaceful living and good will to maintain a peaceful environment while correcting the wrong notion that they are not war mongers, nor villains but rather good citizens who detest fighting and do not serve as machineries for war.
“The people of Odochala have never taken pleasure in fighting with our neighbours. We do not fight for other communities; we are not machineries for war. We have sustainable ability and capacity to maintain good neighbourliness, peaceful environment and stability”, the statement further stated.
Affirming their respect for the sanctity of human lives they refuted having grudges with the people of Ika or Iregu, and called on the government of Kogi state to resolve the conflict as no one’s political ambition is worth the life of any individual.While also recommending dialogue as a major tool in conflict resolution they called to mind the fact that there can be no peace amidst insecurity.
Credit: Leadership
