DESPITE high level of insecurity in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari will today receive the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum’s ‘African Award for Strengthening Peace’ for his “leadership role in promoting peace on the continent”.
The organisers of the award said Buhari has promoted peace in Africa through regular interventions, counsel and conciliatory position.
Incidents of kidnapping for ransom, political violence and terrorist attacks have become common occurrence in Nigeria in recent times.
Terrorist attacks rank top among five risks identified by the Executive Opinion Survey (EOS) capable of hampering Nigeria’s growth and development, as contained in the 18th edition of the Global Risks Report 2023 released last week by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The award conferment which will take place in Nouakchott, Mauritania, is reportedly in line with the Abu Dhabi Forum’s work in fighting religious extremism and promoting peaceful coexistence and dialogue amongst all religions.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, said that the peace award being given to Buhari was worth its weight in gold.
“Without peace, there can’t be development, there can’t be economic development, there can’t be corporate progress.
“This is a man that has spent his entire life fighting for peace so to speak. He fought for the war of unity for the country. After that he intervened in the political affairs of the country, just to restore cohesion and after that, he contested for the president of the country and all towards guaranteeing peace and development.”
Adesina added: “This award coming at a time like this is a very good one, it is one of the parting gifts our president is having from his own continent.”
The Abu Dhabi Peace Forum is an assembly of leaders established in 2014 to pursue new ways to embrace inclusive citizenship, promote lasting peace, and work towards a safer and more sustainable world for everyone.
The award ceremony which is usually hosted by Abu Dhabi and is one of the most important forums in the Islamic world.
According to the Forum’s website, the event serves as a space for the discussion of humanitarian problems and intellectual and religious conflicts in Muslim societies.
Hundreds of Islamic scholars and thinkers participate in the forum in order to establish a unified position to address unrest and acts of violence in the Islamic world.
With several armed conflicts raging, more than 100 million refugees, according to UNHCR, and growing food and energy insecurity threatening the world’s poorest regions in particular, the forum’s attendees face one of the most complex meetings since the forum was established.