The controversial figurehead of the ‘Moonie’ movement recently hosted a four-day international leadership conference aimed at promoting universal peace in Africa in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
Organised by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), founded by Rev Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church, the conference – under the title Towards an Era of Universal Peace in Africa and the World – was attended by pacesetters in various fields from Africa and around the world.
The centerpiece of the conference was a several-hours-long speech delivered by Rev Moon as part of his international peace speaking tour to a crowd of nearly 3,000 at the Abuja Conference Centre.
However there were some issues, as more than half of the guests struggled to understand the Rev Moon due to the limited number of interpreting devices available at the centre and the poor quality of public address system.
Speaking through an interpreter, Rev Moon said that God’s hope for Nigeria is for it to become “a model nation of peace and a beacon of light to all of Africa”. He also called on Nigerians to rededicate themselves to the nation’s “founding principles and spiritual heritage”.
However, he added that change will not happen unless there is “a change of heart and mind that will win back the trust and confidence of the world community, and lead naturally to the universal ideal of one world family under God.”
“There could not have been a better time for such an auspicious conference,” said a Muslim woman, who added that she was amazed that the 91-year-old Rev Moon could stand and speak for hours, and said “peace and love” needed to be brought to the minds of “those who are causing violence in Nigeria in the name of God”.
Addressing the gathering, former deputy president of the Nigerian Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, blamed recent violence in Nigeria, especially in the north, on politicians who have no vision for the country.
“Nigeria was once a home of peace. But today, leaders engage in corrupt practices because they don’t have the fear of God in them,” he said. “That is why the fundamental teachings of Father Moon are so important, both for Nigeria and the world.”
But not all at the conference agreed with the teachings. When Dr Hyung Jin Moon, UPF international chairman and one of the Rev Moon’s 14 children, praised his father as the messiah, one Muslim attendee remarked that people should “listen but not believe”.
Nevertheless, the conference highlighted some unique ideas towards achieving peace. Prof Masahisa Hayashi of Waseda University urged people to do more to ensure that peace reigns supreme in the world.
“Wishful thinking alone will not establish peace. People need to make extraordinary effort, including strengthening family bonds, in order to protect social values,” he said.
Guests were told that the Rev Moon, his wife, family members and tour party met with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who was urged “to honor God and God’s laws and traditions at the centre of his government; to channel Nigeria’s national passion for religion into an asset for peace instead of a source of division; to support marriages and families, so that Nigeria’s family traditions are not eroded by a tide of secular and humanistic values threatening to sweep the country; and finally, the hope that Nigeria emerges as a model nation for all of Africa, and for the world.”
Some of the participants from 70 countries at different sessions of the conference included former and serving government officials such as Tanzanian Minister of State Telezya Huvisa; former Prime Minister of Togo Gabriel Messan Kodjo; ex-Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar, former Nigerian First Lady Tumai Yar’Adua and former Dutch Minister of Defence Wim Van Eekelen.
Chinedu Onyejelem was in Abuja as a guest of the Universal Peace Federation.
