Former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola has explained how he used football tournament to achieve peace in Somalia during a ravaging war in the country in 1993.
Oyinlola said this last Thursday when he delivered lecture at the the 2025 Multiple District Convention of the Lions Club held in Osogbo, Osun State.
Speaking on the theme “lighting the path of service, Oyinlola, who was represented by Professor Siyan Oyeweso, recalled his experience as a military man, stating that myriads of problems facing Nigeria and the rest of the world can be solved through deliberate and well planned acts of service as exemplified by Lions Club.
Narrating his experience in Somalia as a military commander on peace mission, the former Osun Governor said he used football tournament to restore peace after all efforts to use firepower failed.
He said, “You see, I am a soldier. We are trained to be deliberate and focused in whatever we do. Soldiers are agents of peace and light. Now, you will think that is a contradiction. It is not. Sometimes you fight wars to achieve peace and that is where soldiering comes into this discussion. I use my own service as an illustration. You must have read or heard of the tragedy of Somalia. That is a story of devastating violence and prolonged conflict, instability, and humanitarian crisis that have plagued the country since the collapse of the Barre regime in 1991. Since that time, 34 years ago, the country has continued to experience widespread civil war, clan-based violence, famine, displacement, and the rise of extremist groups like Al-Shabaab.
“I was in that country in 1993 as the Commander of the Nigerian contingent of the United Nations Mission there. Our duty was to restore hope and bring life back to the people. But the harder we worked, the worse the security situation. The peace operation was appearing to be an impossible mission. Then I did something. I noticed that each time an international football tournament was on, the various violent groups ceased fire. So, I bought footballs and introduced local tournaments for the warring groups in my area of operation. It worked wonders and we maintained peace in the area until we left. In that simple act, I used the torch of sports to light the path of peace.
“Sometimes you use fire to quench fire. Again, I draw from my experience in Somalia. A neighbourhood developed a method of attacks on peacekeepers. They used kids to line the streets with stones which they pelt us with. We could not fight back otherwise we would be accused of attacking children. But there is no problem with a solution. One day, I told my men enough is enough. I told them what they should do the next time they were attacked with stones by those kids. And it happened. The kids repeated the attack that day. But it was their own turn to be sorry. My men did as I ordered them to do. They got down from our trucks with their own stones. They stoned not the kids but their parents and the elders who cheered them as they attacked us. That was the last time we were so assaulted. Our American counterparts were impressed. They asked me how I thought of that solution. I told them “I am an African.”
While commending Lions Club for the selfless service it renders, Oyinlola listed some of the achievements of the organization that inspired him.
“The world is aware of your interventions as a club. I should echo chroniclers of your activities. Your organization has emerged as one of the world’s most responsive humanitarian organizations. It is to your eternal credit that you step firmly into disaster zones and rebuild broken communities. We feel you in IDP camps here and in other diseased enclaves. You restore hope, and improve lives where war is a way of life. From banditry-ravaged North West to the Boko Haram enclaves of Borno and Yobe, you act as a symbol of service, compassion, and impact.
“Across our North East and North West and parts of the North central, your presence has shown how courage in love can nurse wounds and mend broken bones. Significantly in other parts of Nigeria, you offer relief and sustainable development.”
He called on Lions Club to involve more youth in its activities through special programmes that help shape their careers.
“I call on Lions Clubs across Nigeria to engage more youth in their humanitarian activities. We must light their paths early. Let us give scholarships, create mentorship platforms, promote digital skills, and tackle all inequalities.”
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