UN International Day Of Peace Commemorated By UPF-Nigeria

Written by UPF-Africa

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Benue State, Nigeria – As part of activities to mark United Nations International Day of Peace in 2018, UPF Nigeria teamed up with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) and the Nigerian Christian Church Festival to celebrate Marriage and Family Peace Blessing Festival. The 876 couples in attendance pledged to become exemplary peaceful couples striving to build peaceful families as the foundation for realizing peaceful communities, peaceful nations, nations and the world.

The festival took place from 20th to 23rd September 2018 in the municipalities of Adi, Zaki Biam and Buruku in Benue State. This state in north-central Nigeria has recently experienced serious violence. The Family Peace Festival was a wish come true as most members of the community were able to reunite, learn about peace and pledge to live in peace individually and collectively. A festival was held at the Adi Congregation on September 20th, with 68 couples participating in the celebration of world peace. More than 200 people gathered to participate in activities to mark the region's United Nations International Day of Peace. The Adi Peace Festival celebrates the blessing of world peace and peace through a gathering of religious leaders from the Adi community, including motorcyclists, married men and women, youth leaders, presidents of the Nigerian Christian Association (Buruku branch) Bishop Isaiah Eglenu Lina and several Christian leaders in the community. It included a march on the peace road. After a Peace Road march through the community with songs of peace and praise, the participants gathered in the community church hall to meet with UPF Nigeria Secretary General Dr. Raphael Oko and the FFWPU Nigeria National Education Director Pastor Imo Nkanta. After the speeches and interactive session, the couples registered with the Blessing for World Peace stayed for further lectures and ceremonies.

The presentation focused on the importance of celebrations, the UPF's Peace Principles, and his four great realm of heart. At the end of the interactive blessing session, 68 couples attended the ceremony. Participants thanked the UPF founders and members for supporting Peace Festival activities.

On September 21, 2018, the Celebration team moved to another community, where community leaders enrolled couples in the program. Arriving at Zaki Biam, a festive lecture and ceremony has been given at the First Baptist Church. We were welcomed by the president of the Nigerian Christian Association in the area. He was with the district police officer who also provided a police officers in charge of security for the event. After presentations on the significance of the United Nations International Day of Peace and the Marriage and Family Peace Blessing Festival, 112 couples fully participated in the Blessing Program. Most of them are church and community leaders and have also offered to extend the program to their churches and communities. District police, traditional community leaders, and some Christian clergy have been awarded certificates as peace ambassadors. They all applauded the initiative and promised to host a bigger event on October 4th, 2018. Twelve volunteers have secured 430 couples in the Zaki Biam community and have offered to enroll more couples to form the basis of the "Peace Tribes" in the area.

The festival team continued on to the next community of Buruku. In Buruku, the couple met at the NKST church. Many people crossed the Buruku River to attend the festival. After hearing about the United Nations International Day of Peace and the Marriage and Family Peace Blessing Festival, 501 couples participated in the Blessing Program. The hall was packed and more than 100 couples attended the celebration under the mango trees near the hall. Volunteers went door to door to mobilize couples to register for the event.The couples were very excited when they arrived at the venue and were greeted by the staff.

After the lecture, the couple renewed their resolve to raise each other and their children to be peaceful citizens. At the end of the program, refreshments were provided to all participants and the couples were grouped into teams of 36 couples to work together towards a peaceful community. After the mass gathering in Buruku, volunteers reached out to neighboring communities to ensure that at least 860 couples could attend the festival to start two Peace Tribes of 430 couples. Offered to mobilize more couples.

On Sunday 23rd September, the Peace Festival team returned to the Adi community once again. As soon as they arrived in the community, volunteers began mobilizing pre-registered couples to the venue of the program. As each couple arrived at the venue, they were given a festival scarf, numbered the entry form and We proceeded to the photo session and were taken into the hall and seated. When we returned to Addi, 196 couples had registered to participate in the Blessing Program.

News of the World Peace Blessing Program spread like wildfire. More volunteers are coming forward to mobilize couples in their areas to participate in the festival, which they are fast realizing as the solution to the many challenges they have been facing. Religious and community leaders are reaching out to each other, sharing positive testimonies of the family peace festivals and encouraging others to welcome the UPF/FFWPU team to their communities.

In each of the areas that we visited, chairmen of the Christian Association of Nigeria and their spouses in Buruku, Logo and Katsina Ala who have participated in a similar blessing program with their church members between May and August 2018 are fully supporting the program with their presence at each event and sharing testimonies of their experiences as participants and encouraging others to embrace the program. There are increasing requests every day now to extend the family peace festival to other communities in Benue State as well as to other neighboring states.

The interest shown by participating couples, religious and community leaders testifies to the point that we can bring about a peaceful world by strengthening marriages and building strong families through the family peace festival education programs and ceremonies in local communities. Volunteers from various communities are ready to work with us to celebrate hundreds of thousands of couples in our region and across the country.