The Governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel
Suswam, has blamed the present crop of politicians from the northern
part of the country for capitalising on religious and ethnic differences
to create hatred and crisis in the region.
Blaming
the widespread poverty in the area on the politicians, the governor
regretted that “instead of political leaders to use their positions to
fight poverty and conquer infrastructural deficiencies in the country,
they are using it to fight themselves and fan embers of disunity among
the people.”
Governor Suswam maintained that, “If the northern leaders recognise that the energy used by the Boko Haram terrorists in killing innocent people and destroying public places could be invested in farming and other meaningful ventures, it will go a long way in reducing poverty and unemployment in the country.”
The governor made this known while delivering a paper on the theme: “Our Diversity, Our Strength” at a one-day town hall meeting organised by a coalition of civil society organisations in Kaduna on Thursday.
Mr. Suswam urged Nigerians to learn how to live peacefully, despite the religious and cultural differences of the country, adding that for the North and the country to remain as an indivisible entity, political leaders must recognise the religious and cultural diversities and the peculiar conditions under which the country exists.
According to him, the diversity in religion, language and ethnicity of the country should be seen as a source of strength and unity rather than being used as a tool for disintegration by some desperate politicians.
Also speaking at the event, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Alfa Belgore, who chaired the event said that Nigeria had the potential to be a great nation but lamented that those in authority had deviated from the original dreams of the founding fathers which centred on unity and peace.
He said that majority of the Boko Haram members that terrorising the country today were foreigners trained in neighbouring African countries and brought in to destabilise the country.
Against the backdrop of the security challenges in the country, the organisers of the meeting said the essence was to identify issues germane to the development of the nation. And to identify such issues, it was important that the issue of diversity and strength which remained a major challenge for peaceful co-existence must be discussed.
It was the belief of the governor and others at the event that waving aside ethnic and religious sentiments by politicians would strengthen a just and egalitarian society where every Nigerian would have equal opportunities irrespective of the person’s background.
Blaming
the widespread poverty in the area on the politicians, the governor
regretted that “instead of political leaders to use their positions to
fight poverty and conquer infrastructural deficiencies in the country,
they are using it to fight themselves and fan embers of disunity among
the people.”Governor Suswam maintained that, “If the northern leaders recognise that the energy used by the Boko Haram terrorists in killing innocent people and destroying public places could be invested in farming and other meaningful ventures, it will go a long way in reducing poverty and unemployment in the country.”
The governor made this known while delivering a paper on the theme: “Our Diversity, Our Strength” at a one-day town hall meeting organised by a coalition of civil society organisations in Kaduna on Thursday.
Mr. Suswam urged Nigerians to learn how to live peacefully, despite the religious and cultural differences of the country, adding that for the North and the country to remain as an indivisible entity, political leaders must recognise the religious and cultural diversities and the peculiar conditions under which the country exists.
According to him, the diversity in religion, language and ethnicity of the country should be seen as a source of strength and unity rather than being used as a tool for disintegration by some desperate politicians.
Also speaking at the event, a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Alfa Belgore, who chaired the event said that Nigeria had the potential to be a great nation but lamented that those in authority had deviated from the original dreams of the founding fathers which centred on unity and peace.
He said that majority of the Boko Haram members that terrorising the country today were foreigners trained in neighbouring African countries and brought in to destabilise the country.
Against the backdrop of the security challenges in the country, the organisers of the meeting said the essence was to identify issues germane to the development of the nation. And to identify such issues, it was important that the issue of diversity and strength which remained a major challenge for peaceful co-existence must be discussed.
It was the belief of the governor and others at the event that waving aside ethnic and religious sentiments by politicians would strengthen a just and egalitarian society where every Nigerian would have equal opportunities irrespective of the person’s background.
No comments:
Post a Comment