Sambo Dasuki
National Security Adviser(NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has challenged traditional rulers in the north to work towards harmonious relationship in their domains.
He said the attainment of peaceful coexistence in restive communities rests on their commitment and efforts.
Dasuki spoke yesterday in Abuja at a session with northern Christian traditional rulers during a parley organised by the Northern States Christian Elders Forum(NOSCEF).
While lamenting the activities of radical Islamic Boko Haram in the north east, Dasuki assured that the federal government was leaving no stone unturned in arresting the unacceptable situation.
According to him: “Traditional rulers have a responsibility to be peace builders in their communities. While we work as a government on fighting insurgency, we urge you to help build consensus that will create peaceful coexistence.”
The National President of Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, regretted that some politicians were feeding on the terror war for selfish gains.
According to him, the greatest war the nation is fighting is not terror but insincerity.
The CAN’s helmsman said: “Nigeria is fighting against truth. We hate truth, we hide truth and we fear truth. It is so unfortunate.
“Nigeria is not free because we are running away from truth. Truth can be bitter, but when you swallow it, when it gets inside, it could become sweet.”
He argued that the terror war is escalating because most Nigerians are pretenders.
“We are like Ostriches, we are a nation of pretenders. We run away from the truth and we want to believe that somehow, our troubles will just vanish, but it never happened that way, because truth has a way of creating a level playing ground for everybody,” Oritsejafor stressed.
NOSCEF’s chair, Elder Olaiya Phillips, pointed out that the Boko Haram insurgency is not based on Christians and Muslims dichotomy but an onslaught against the Nigerian entity.
According to him: “As we saw with the bomb attack on the Central Mosque in Kano recently, there are severe dangers to those who actively speak out against Boko Haram. Friends – the challenges that face our community and country are huge.
“Every day reports reach us from our members of new attacks by Boko Haram and their followers. Each week a new town or village appears to be briefly occupied, pillaged and then deserted before the insurgents can be apprehended.”
He added: “Innocent civilians are murdered, families are torn apart and communities are expelled. Businesses, farms and churches are razed to the ground. Like a wild bush fire, Boko Haram has spread from town to town as they try to establish their vision of an ‘Islamic caliphate’.
“No longer contained in the Northeast, their terrorist attacks occur all over the North of our country. The reach of their flames seem to have no limit, even stretching as far as here in our capital.”
Phillips called on the traditional rulers to become peace agents and ensure their communities do not become theatres of war.
Source The Nation
No comments:
Post a Comment