The Nigeria Union of Mine Workers (NUMW) has called on world leaders to prioritise peace over conflict, urging governments across the globe to embrace dialogue, invest in development and safeguard the future of coming generations.
In an official peace message issued from Abuja on Monday, the union’s president, Comrade Hamza Muhammad, appealed to presidents and heads of government in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, Latin America and Russia to make peace the defining legacy of today’s leadership.
Addressing world leaders, Hamza posed what he described as a critical question for humanity: “What are we thinking for the next 50 years?”
He said the decisions taken by today’s leaders would determine the future inherited by generations yet unborn.
“The leaders of today are planting the seeds that the next generations will harvest,” he said.
The union leader urged governments to place greater emphasis on peaceful coexistence, warning that while nation-building takes years, destruction can occur within moments.
“It takes years to build a nation, but only seconds to destroy it. Peace is sacred and non-negotiable,” he said.
Hamza argued that no leader is elected to wage war, insisting that governments have a responsibility to deliver peace, education, healthcare and prosperity instead of conflict.
“Is there any leader willing to send his own son or daughter to die on a battlefield without a concrete reason? No leader was voted to fight war.
We were voted to build peace, schools, hospitals and prosperity,” he stated.
He further appealed to world leaders to replace military confrontation with diplomacy and development.
“From Nigeria and Africa, we say: We are owing the world peace. Let us choose dialogue over missiles, food over bombs, jobs over conflict,” he said.
Describing workers as a unifying force across nations, Hamza called for a collective commitment to ensuring that the next half-century is defined by peace rather than war.
“The workers of the world are one. Let us give the next 50 years to peace,” he added.
The message concluded with prayers for wisdom for global leaders and lasting peace across the world.
The peace appeal was simultaneously released in English, Hausa, French and Arabic, reflecting the union’s effort to reach audiences across different regions and reinforce its call for global harmony.
