By Angela Atabo

The Universal Peace Federation (UPF), an organisation committed to fostering global peace, has highlighted the need to strengthen family values as a foundation for promoting peace and stability in Nigeria.

Dr George Ikpot, Secretary-General of UPF Nigeria, made this call during the UPF National Seminar and Award Ceremony on the United Nations and the Family, held in Abuja.

The event was organised in collaboration with Celebrity Love for Orphans (CLFO) and the Christian and Muslim Inter-Religious Peace Foundation (CHANMUS).

With the theme: “The Family as Building Block of a Peaceful, Harmonised World,” the seminar focused on the critical role families play in shaping peaceful societies.

Ikpot noted that core family values such as respect, empathy, and effective conflict resolution were key to fostering harmony within households and the wider community.

According to him, families that uphold moral standards create a nurturing environment that promotes safety, security, and a sense of belonging, which are vital ingredients for national stability.

“At Universal Peace Federation, we are working to promote peace, particularly by encouraging every person, individual citizens, families, nations to promote peace.

“This is because, truly speaking, if there is no peace our existence doesn’t even have any meaning.

“You cannot even exist and this is why UPF is very passionate about the issue of peace amongst Nigerians,” he said.

Ikpot explained that UPF as an NGO is in general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

According to him, the organisation supports and promotes the work of the United Nations and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking, Amb. Simeon Uwa, Executive Secretary, International Summit Council for Peace of the United Nations, said that broken family values were responsible for insecurity and other social vices.

According to Uwa, when families do not have the right direction, children from those units are always dysfunctional.

“You will agree with me that we all live in a broken world, in communities where there is no more rule of law.

“So, once every year, the UN sets aside a day like this for us to reappraise ourselves, reappraise our nations, reappraise our families, and reappraise the basic units,” he said.

Prof. Mary Aibangbe, a lecturer at the Bayero University Kano and UPF Coordinator, Kano Chapter, emphasised the role UN played, saying there was the need to uphold family values and education.

“If the family is educated, the world is educated.

“UN helps in creating peace within the family and programmes such as this are platforms that amplify UN’s work,” she said.

She added that UPF with its branches in all Nigerian states aimed to create peace by repositioning the family to play its rightful role upholding family values.

Chief Tunde Oladugbagbe, Chairman, CHANMUS Inter-Religious Foundation, said there was the need for peaceful coexistence, adding that family was the cornerstone of building a nation.

“So, we have to go back home to work on how we train our kids so that our environment, our community is based on ethics and values,” he said.

One of the awardees, Ms Grace Ishola, Managing Director of African Diversity, commended the UPF for its continued efforts in promoting peace.

She also expressed gratitude for being recognised.

“I thank UPF for recognising my work and deeming me worthy of this award. Their commitment to peacebuilding is inspiring and much needed in today’s world,” Ishola said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Benson Ezugwu/Kevin Okunzuwa