Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has reacted to threats and
rising ethnic agitations in some parts of the country, calling on Nigerians to tolerate
each other and display understanding because there is strength in unity.
Saraki spoke when the leadership of the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, led by its
Chairman, Rev. Yakubu Pam, visited him at the National Assembly in Abuja.
“Let me through you appeal to all our people for tolerance
and understanding. I want to appeal that we preach tolerance. I believe that it
is our responsibility as leaders, to impress on our people to be very tolerant
and let us seek unity”, Saraki’s Special Assistant on Print Media, Chuks
Okocha, quoted him as saying
“We also wish to appeal to everybody that we should in our
speeches and actions work for the unity of the country, because you made
reference to some of the issues but this is not about who is right or who is
wrong, we should always ask ourselves that what can we do to unite our people
and mend the fault lines.
“This is very important. I am hopeful, that we are only
going through these challenges because of the state of our economy and I
believe by the time the economic recovery plan of the present administration
begins to yield fruits, some of these issues will fizzle out,” Saraki said.
On the economy, Saraki said: “I believe by the time we
address the economy, by the time we get the economy right, it will eliminate
all these tension. Until we get there, we must make sure that we have a country
where we are all working together.
“Let me assure you that things that are of concern to you
are also of concern to us. And the 8th Senate has shown that in most of our
deliberations, we put Nigeria first. The challenges we have in Nigeria are not
selective as to which part of the country a person comes from.
“The economic challenges do not discriminate against Muslims
or Christians, nor do they favour Northerners against Southerners. I think with
that, there are lessons. The economic hardship affect all of us and we must
unite to jointly eliminate those challenges.
“However, we should not lose faith because as religious
leaders your disposition affect will affect your followers. You must have faith
that this country belongs to all of us. We all have rights. We will ensure that
we respect that. We must have faith that this country will continue to grow
from strength to strength. I plead for your understanding and tolerance,” he
said.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Rev. Pam, expressed
concern over the series of agitations by some interest groups who are calling
for restructuring and raising allegations of marginalization.
“I heard this morning that some people are asking some
people to leave the Northern part of the country. This kind of comments and
utterances should not be encouraged.
“To us, the hour has come for government to take a second
look at the causes of these agitations so that all sides can be given a sense
of belonging in the scheme of things in the country. We need all hands to be
joined together to move this country forward”, he said.
On the frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers, Rev.
Pam said, “Cattle rearing is a private business and as such herders should be
educated on the modern way of handling their cattle rearing business so that
their cattle should not be let loose into farms of the locals in different
parts of the country in order to put an end to frequent clashes between the
herdsmen and the local farmers”.
The Northern CAN President called on the National Assembly
to pass a law that would guarantee freedom of worship for all faiths and
re-introduction of religious education in the school curriculum, even as he
appealed to the that the Senate to intervene to stop attacks on places of
worship in some parts of the Northern states.
He also lamented the incidence of forced marriages against
under aged girls, saying, “We want to make an appeal that the Senate should
look into this social problem so that it would not lead to break down of law
and order in some parts of the country especially from those considered to be
victims of this social malaise”.
By Wale Odunsi
