The Kwara State Coordinator of NOA, Mr Olusegun Adeyemi, made the disclosure on Monday while delivering his speech at the flag off of the programme in Ilorin.
He said the campaign was to foster peace in homes, workplaces and religious organisations.
“Let me reiterate the fact that peace and harmonious living are the sine quo non for development, economic growth and well being of all and sundry.
“Peace is an issue that cannot be over emphasised because without it, the society will experience crisis and be in chaos without achieving any developmental goals,’’ Adeyemi said.
The NOA coordinator called on all stakeholders to play vital role in building peace, especially at a time when hate speeches and separatist agitations were being fuelled by selfish Nigerians.
Kwara State Head of Service, Mrs Susan Oluwole, who spoke at the event, said equity and tolerance were necessary for peace and harmonious relationship and in building heterogeneous society.
“To achieve cordial and peaceful relationship in the society, we should shun tribalism, favouritism, injustice and other vices,” she said.
Oluwole called on civil servants to be committed to their duties and adhere to laid down rules and regulations governing their jobs.
She urged NOA not to relent in the sensitisation of the public on issues that would promote peace in the society.
The Guest Speaker, Prof. Isaac Albert, Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, said Nigerians must respect their socio-cultural and religious differences in order to build a strong and peaceful nation.
He said: “we are not created to think and act the same way, therefore we must recognise the contributions and opinions of every citizen in Nigeria.
“The country is diversified with different cultural and socio-political settings which tolerance and respect for one another must be factor of consideration to achieve peace.”
The United States is supporting Nigeria to develop its agriculture sector into a more diversified, inclusive and dynamic driver of economic development, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has said.
Roseann Casey, the USAID/Nigeria Director of Economic Growth and Environment, said this in a statement signed by Jana T. Sweeny, the Development Outreach and Communications Specialist (DOC), and made available to newsmen on Monday in Lagos.
Casey said in pursuit of the objective, USAID/Nigeria recently hosted two-day workshops between Sept. 26 and Oct 11, in Lagos, Kano, and Abuja.
She explained that the results from the consultative workshops would inform a new food security country plan for Nigeria.
“The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) convened a broad spectrum of agricultural stakeholders to develop a shared vision for development of the sector under the U.S. government’s new Global Food Security Strategy.
“The U.S. Global Food Security Act authorizes a comprehensive, strategic approach for U.S. foreign assistance to reduce global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition in 12 target countries, including Nigeria.
“In two-day workshops held in Lagos, Kano, and Abuja from September 26 to October 11, some 180 participants examined the past, present, and future of agricultural and nutrition developments in the country,’’ she said.
The USAID/Nigeria director said that the workshops identified common objectives, and developed action plans to develop agriculture in Nigeria under the new strategy.
She said that representatives came from academia, community-based organisations, non-governmental organizations, financial institutions, value chain actors, agriculture and nutrition-related associations, government agencies, donor agencies, and media.
“With these workshops, the United States has demonstrated its commitment to helping to develop agriculture into a more diversified, inclusive and dynamic driver of economic development in Nigeria,” Casey said.
The participants, she said, discussed key issues including access to finance for farmers and other value chain actors, particularly women and youth.
The director added that discussions addressed the need to strengthen market systems and value chains and improve access to agricultural inputs and training for farmers.
Casey said that the participants also highlighted the importance of making healthy and nutritious food available and accessible, especially for lactating and pregnant mothers, and children.
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