By Heritage Odih, Abeokuta
Real estate entrepreneur and CEO of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Ambassador (Dr) Babatunde Adeyemo, has harped on the importance of peace for progress and development, saying Nigeria needs more of it now to navigate safely out of her current social, economic and security challenges.
Describing Peace as a state of calmness and tranquility devoid of violence, fear and insecurity, Adeyemo said that to have a peaceful country is a shared responsibility and urged Nigerians to join hands to build peaceful and harmonious Nigeria where sustainable progress and development become a norm.
He spoke at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos while making his remarks shortly after his investiture as International Peace Advocate, an honour bestowed on him on Saturday by the United Nations Positive Lives Award Centre, during the celebration of this year’s International Day of ‘Multilateralism & Diplomacy for Peace.’
The theme of the 2024 edition of the celebration is “Uniting for a Peaceful & Sustainable Future.’
He noted that Peace is very crucial for a stable world, stressing that the United Nations as a global body has been championing the path of peace in many troubled spots around the world.
Adeyemo who is the brain behind Pelican Valley Estate Laderin, Abeokuta, Pelican Valley Brief Estate, Pelican’s Ecostay Apartments and Pelican Greenish Acre Farm Estate – located at Kobape corridor of Ogun State, commended the foundation for deeming him worthy of the appointment and pledged to dedicate more of his time and resources to peace building.
He said that the appointment is a call to more sacrifice for peace, recalling that through his real estate business, he has been engaging in peace building with zero litigation and also by addressing issues such as youths unemployment, widows’ plights, poverty and lack among the downtrodden, having identified them as threats to the peace of society, community and nation if they remained unaddressed.
Adeyemo said, “I take my appointment and investiture as International Peace Advocate as a call to dedication and more commitment to Peace building, Peace Making and Peace Sustenance for progress, development and harmonious living.
“I can’t talk about myself in this task of Peace Making without mentioning the Pelican Valley because it has become quite difficult for anybody to separate me from the Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited. It is not just a household name in championing due diligence, integrity and value for investments in Nigeria’s real estate industry but also fostering peace in the society and communities.
“We identify youth unemployment as a threat to peace and it is the reason that 98% of our workforce is made of youths -we make them productively engaged by creating direct and indirect jobs for them through our real estate business and thereby steering them away from conducts and associations inimical to societal and communal peace.
“Again, one of the things that create conflicts in families and communities today is also land acquisition and land dispute. You might have heard of the Omoniles and the Ajagungbales and the multiple risks associated with their activities. In other parts of the country, their names may vary but their violent activities are almost similar.
“In real estate business, land is a major raw material and Pelican Valley has been acquiring this raw Material to build its estates in a manner devoid of litigations, violence or police cases because we adopted due diligence as our rule of engagement. We don’t buy any land from families or communities until we have met everybody connected to the root of Tittle and get their blessing to buy, while we immediately follow up with necessary approvals from the authorities. So, If you buy land or property from us, you buy Peace. You will have rest of mind and value for your investments.
“And through our Okó Opó Foundation, a charity organisation, we are tackling poverty and hunger which are also threats to peace. Recently on December 26, 2023, over 100 widows from over 12 communities in Ogun State were supported with food items and cash to make their yuletide and the New Year worthwhile. We have also extended same gesture to worship centres and also connect communities in darkness to the national grid.
“So, as said earlier, I see my appointment and investiture as a call to sacrifice my time and resources towards Peace building.”
Earlier in his speech, the Deputy Country President, UN – POLAC Foundation, Ambassador Peter Ohagwa, emphasized the role of multilateral diplomacy in achieving sustainable peace and development in society, communities and nation while also reminding Nigerians that to have a peaceful country is a collective responsibility.
Ohagwa, an engineer, therefore appealed for the cooperation of federal, states, corporate entities and the citizenry to join hands together and work for peace and its sustainability in Nigeria.
He also urged the Federal Government to establish a taskforce to be known as Nigerian Forest, Community Guard and Bush Surveillance (NFCBS) and armed them with necessary training and equipment to police the forests across the country and rid them of kidnappers, bandits and insurgents.
Eminent Nigerians inducted at the occasion alongside Pelican Valley CEO, Ambassador Babatunde Adeyemo, include the Human Settlement Advisor on Durable Solutions for IDPs, Refugees, Returnees, and Host Communities with the United Nations system in Nigeria, Dr. Okafor Christian, the Principal Medical Officer of Cottage Hospital Dumne, Song, Dr. Abubakar Iliyasu, the Managing Director and CEO of Platform Petroleum Ltd, Mr. John Anim, the CEO of Eleo Design Int’l and the Managing Director of Eleo Design Centre for luxury product showrooms, Lydia Okodogbe, Real Estate consultant and Chief Operations Officer(COO) of Gidi Real Estate Investment Ltd, Ayorinde Isaac Ejioye and the CEO of Universa Nigeria Ltd, and founder, Crosstee Telecoms Nigeria Ltd, Dr. Ben Adeniji.
Also inducted include global chartered accountant and auditor, Patrick Onwura Nzechukwu of the Patrick Consult Ltd, founder and CEO of Standard Life Nigeria and Rwanda, Mr. Osazee Oyegue, an apostle of social justice, Rev.(Dr ) Michah Dopah Philip, Founder and CEO of Famacare; a chain of digitally driven clinics focusing on African solutions to healthcare challenges, Chibuzor Ofulue, and over 35 others.
