COMMISSIONER for Basic and Secondary Education in Delta State, Chief Patrick Ukah, has described peace and reconciliation as veritable instruments for growth and development of any society.
He made the description in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, at an enlarged reconciliation meeting of Umuomake village.
The Commissioner stated that he was pained that there was unnecessary division in the village for several year.
According to the Commissioner, who is the Akatakpo Enyi 1 of Okpanam Kingdom, he decided to brocker peace and reconcile the aggrieved factions in the village to strengthen their unity.
In their separate remarks, some stakeholders in the village, including Ogbueshi Clement Ukah, Elder Mike Anazia and Rev. Harrison Onyemali, said they were happy to have come together for the final reconciliation among the people of the village.
He commended the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education for his inspiring role in uniting them, just as they noted that his decision to bring Umuomake village together into one indivisible entity was necessary.
While calling on youths of the community to always respect their elders and shun acts that could bring shame to the area, Ogbueshi Clement Ukah and Rev. Onyemali said that any division among them would impact negatively on the village.
The Special Assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Land Security and Waterways, Hon. Chibueze Aniemeke, at the occasion, thanked Chief Ukah for midwifing the reconciliation in the village and the elders for throwing their weight behind the Commissioner’s peace initiative, stressing that whenever there was any misunderstanding among them, it should be brought to the Izu-Umuomake for such to be resolved amicably rather than allow it to escalate.
In an interview with newsmen, the Chairman of Umuomake Youths, Comrade Aniagwu Okolie, described the reconciliation as an act of God, adding that peace and unity were one of the greatest weapons for societal growth.
