THE General Officer Commandinng 3 Armoured Division and Operation Safe Haven (STF), Major General I.S. Ali has disclosed that without peace there will be no meaningful development.
He made the assertion during the opening ceremony of the Peace Football Tournament, tagged STF Peace Football Tournament held at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium on Wednesday; noting that an event like this is very important at this particular time.
“This event is very significant and important for peace building efforts, towards all the local governments under the Operation Safe Haven.
“The core essence of this tournament and using football as a unifying tool to emphases the benefit of peaceful co-existence, unity, co-operation and teamwork as well as douse tension among the aggrieved ethnic groups. Football all over the world is a universal sport that binds and integrate people of diverse, ethnic, cultural, political groups and religious affiliations.
He maintained that the state use to be a peaceful state in the country, but unfortunately in recent times, has experience a lot of security challenges that had threatened to reverse the successes recorded in peace building efforts.
“It is my sincere hope that this tournament will build the cohesion and serve as a remainder to all of us, as once cordial and harmonious relationship we shared in the past; let me use this opportunity to urge all here to join hands and move away from those attitudes that compromise our collective dignity and integrity and support the march towards growth to development and peaceful co-existence.
General Ali emphasized that the nation belongs to all of us and there is need to live together in peace and unity, noting that the task of restoring peace is not the responsibilities of the security agencies alone, but to everyone all forms if violence must be stopped.
He challenged the participating teams to exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship and to be the ambassadors of their various communities and advised the organisers to play to the rules of the game.
Also Igwe Sam Patrick who represented the Igbo Community in Jos expressed delight with the STF for organizing the tournament, which he said will indeed promote peaceful co-existence on the state.
“I am highly impressed with the Command’s gesture for organising the football championship which will bring all the ethnic groups together and promote peaceful co-existence not only to the state but the country as a whole ”, he said.
