Sultan says unity among Nigerians, key to peaceful co-existence, development
…as Saudi Arabia pledges support for Nigeria on terrorism
Nigerians irrespective of religion, race and tribe have been changed to be united so as collectively fight against insecurity and insurgency the country is currently facing, says Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and Nigeria’s Leader of Muslims.
His Eminence, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto in his opening remarks stated this on Tuesday at a two-day International Conference tagged, “Security and Peaceful Co-existence in Nigeria”, held in Ilorin, Kwara State.
According to him, no nation can develop in atmosphere of rancour or disparity, saying if Nigerians could unite and fight together we can get rid of present predicaments and insecurity posed by Boko Haram sect or Niger Delta militants.
He said “we have problems in the country and it must be collectively tackled and solved. There must be unity among Nigerians. Everybody has to join hands together to fight against corruption, insecurity, criminality and other social vices.
“We need to embrace ourselves by respecting and understanding our religious rectitude. Both Muslim and Christian have guide. I have opportunity to be acquainted with Bible. No where in the Quran and Bible where killing of innocent people is allowed.
“Terminology should not be given to criminals. We should be cautious of our utterances as some people refer to extremists as Muslims terrorising the county.”
The Sultan who is the Chairman of the occasion further stressed that “99.5 percent of Muslims are peace-loving while the remaining percentage goes to the bad eggs. Let unify ourselves be it Christian or Muslim. We should look into issues passionately, stop inciting remarks, and relate as families so as to work towards finding lasting solution to the problems and make our country better.”
“Impunity can lead to injustice, from there it may give birth to bad governance and resulted to insecurity”, he added
The Sultan who described the programme as timely considering the current situation in the country, commended Kwara state government for the gesture, just as he charged other states to emulate it.
Also speaking, Sheikh Abdullah Mohammed, the representative from Saudi Arabia and Special Adviser, noted that Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are faced with similar problems, adding that” Christianity and Islam teach, preach peace and respect of one’s dignity. The terrorists follow the part of devil.”
While calling on Muslims and Christians to rise against insecurity, he noted that, “Saudi Arabia is calling for synergy between her and Nigerian. Saudi is strongly behind Nigeria. We should all pray to God to take control”.
Also speaking, Reverend Cornelius Fawenu emphasized that it is high time to come together, “whether Muslim or Christian we must see ourselves as one. Our coming together to find solutions to predicaments will go a long way to ensure perfect peace.
“Peace will never reign if we do not work for it and follow it. Therefore, men must resolve to leave in peace by gathering like this and rob minds for solution to the problems because we can learn from one another”.
Declaring the conference open, Abdulfatah Ahmed, the state governor said without peace, there can not be development, adding:”the conference is quite timely and designed to chat way against the trouble the country is facing and proffer solutions.