Peace, Most Powerful Force for a Better Future – UN Chief

NEW YORK, September 13, 2025 | GMTNewsng

The UN Secretary-General António Gutierrez said on Friday that “peace is the most powerful force for a better future”.

Guterres stated this during the annual ceremony on the grounds of UN Headquarters in New York to ring the Peace Bell.

The Secretary-General said that peace “is within our grasp – if we choose it.”

The UN chief appealed for greater efforts towards peace in a “fractured world” where conflicts were increasing.

“This is the message of the Peace Bell”, he added, cast in 1952 from coins and medals donated by people from all the over the world, “united in their yearning for peace”.

“This Peace Bell reminds us that even the smallest contributions can forge something enduring,” he said.

“Eighty years ago, the UN emerged from the ashes of war to pursue the cause of peace,” the Secretary-General said.

“Even in a fractured world, we can come together to let peace ring. Let’s answer that call.”

Pursuing the cause of peace is “the beating heart” of the Organisation, “but today, peace is under siege,” he said.

“Conflicts are multiplying. Civilians are suffering; human rights and international law are being trampled – leaving scenes that disgrace our common humanity.”

The ceremony comes ahead of the International Day of Peace on September 21, and the theme this year is “Act Now for a Peaceful World”.

“We know that peace doesn’t happen by accident,” the Secretary-General said. “It is forged – through courage, compromise and above all, action.”

He called for action “to silence the guns”, amplify diplomacy, protect civilians and uphold the UN Charter.

“We must act to tackle the root causes of conflict ‘ from inequality and exclusion, to hate speech, and climate chaos.

“We must act to invest in prevention, dialogue and trust,” he added.

“And we must act to support the peacebuilders – especially women and young people – who are on the frontlines of hope.”

The President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, also addressed the gathering.

Amid numerous conflicts worldwide, she questioned whether there would be less war without the United Nations, responding firmly that “definitely not.”

“This is not the moment to give up,” she said.  “It’s a moment to try even harder.”

The Japanese Peace Bell was presented as a gift to the United Nations from the UN Association of Japan on June 8, 1954.

On its side are eight Japanese characters that say, “Long live absolute world peace.”

It is housed in a wooden structure resembling a traditional Shinto shrine.

The bell is rung twice a year on the first day of Spring, at the vernal equinox, and to commemorate the International. GMTNewsng

Emergency Responders Rescue 4 from Yaba Building Collapse

LAGOS, September 13, 2025 | GMTNewsng

Emergency responders have rescued four men from a three-storey building that collapsed while under construction on Friday night in Yaba, a suburb of Lagos.

Acting Head of the National Emergency Management Agency (Lagos Operations Office), Mrs Ibitayo Adenike, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Adenike said that the building collapsed on Friday night at about 8.30 p.m. at  No 333 Borno st, Alagomeji, Yaba, trapping several persons.

“Four men have been rescued and taken to the hospital,” Adenike said.

She added that the number of people still trapped under the rubble could not be determined until the building was completely brought down to ground level.

She added that search and rescue operations were ongoing.

According to her, emergency responders at the scene include the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Building Control Agency, the Nigeria Police Force, among others. GMTNewsng

Lawmaker Pledges to Revamped Abandoned Juvenile Reformation Home in Enugu

September 13, 2025 | GMTNewsng

Mr Chima Obieze, lawmaker, representing Ezeagu at the Enugu State House of Assembly, has pledged to assist the Nigeria Correctional Centre to revamp the abandoned juvenile reformatory home in the state.

Obieze made the pledge when he visited the home known as the Borstal Training Institute (BTI) on Friday in Enugu, to ascertain the challenges hindering the 93 year-old institution from becoming operational.

He said the visit was part of the just concluded Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Enugu and also to know why the only Borstal training institution in the South-east and South-south was not functional.

Obieze, who is also a legal practitioner, appreciated the Controller of Corrections, Mrs Prisca Oku and Principal of the institute, Mrs Onwudiwe for their relentless efforts and contributions to sustain institute

He equally promised to move a legislative motion urging the state government to partner with Nigerian Correctional Service where necessary, in making sure that the training institute was back to life.

Earlier, the principal commended the lawmaker for visiting the school, saying that the training institute which meant to serve juvenile offenders from the South-East and South-South had been abandoned for decades.

She called on state government, well-meaning individuals to partner the Nigerian correctional service under the leadership of the Controller-Genaral of Corrections, Mr Sylvester Nwakuche, to bring the institute back to life.

The principal prayed that such visits and partnership would be sustained to help young offenders to become better persons in the society.

“So this your visit is a welcome development,” she said. GMTNewsng