ARISE News analyst Dayo Sobowale has criticised the Senate President’s recent appeal for the global community to prioritise peace and development, describing the remarks as “sanctimonious” and overly simplistic in the face of ongoing global conflicts.
Speaking in an interview on ARISE News on Friday, Sobowale said that while the message of peace may sound ideal, it fails to reflect the complex political and economic realities behind global crises.
“It’s a sanctimonious call. That’s how I’ll describe it. It’s sanctimonious. And it’s very theoretical because you have conflict all over, and right now he’s preaching peace.”
He argued that conflicts do not occur in isolation but are driven by competing interests and deep-rooted grievances.
“Conflicts do not arise in a vacuum. They arise when there are conflicts of interest and disagreements, and they escalate into violence.”
Sobowale pointed to ongoing geopolitical tensions, including those involving the United States and Iran, stressing that such conflicts are grounded in clear strategic interests rather than irrational actions.
“The actors involved are not crazy; they know what they are fighting over.”
While acknowledging the importance of advocating for peace, he maintained that broad, generalised appeals without addressing root causes amount to moral posturing.
“To now say blanketly like that, that the world should move towards peace… is not I say it’s sanctimonious.”
He also questioned the practicality of expecting peace through declarations alone, noting that global power dynamics often shape outcomes more than moral appeals.
“Who will condemn the people who are powerful and doing it?”
Sobowale further criticised the current state of global institutions, arguing that the effectiveness of the United Nations has been significantly weakened.
“As at now, the United Nations… is lying prostrate.”
On the issue of moral authority, he acknowledged that the Senate President has a platform to speak on global matters but insisted that the message lacks practical grounding.
“He has some moral authority because of the context… but what I quarrel with is to make a blanket call as if once a referee blows a whistle, everything will come to an end.”
He stressed that peace must be deliberately built through addressing underlying issues rather than assumed as an automatic outcome.
“Peace doesn’t exist in a vacuum; peace has to be earned.”
Sobowale concluded by calling for a more realistic and context-driven approach to global conflict resolution, warning that without tackling structural causes, such appeals will remain ineffective.
By Ojo Triumph
