Nigeria's Information Minister, Labaran Maku has said that the Nigerian Government will be firm in promoting peace and restoring public order in every part of the country. He made the remarks in Abuja when the Nasarawa State Chapter of the Conference of the Peoples Democratic Party Local Government Secretaries paid him s sympathy visit over the recent violence in parts of Nasarawa State.
Labaran Maku espoused that the immediate deployment of troops to the flashpoints in Nassarawa State has brought significant peace to the affected areas; noting from reports that displaced persons have begun to return to their homes.
He also said that the Federal Government would continue to partner with stakeholders in Nasarawa State to guard against the recurrence of violence. "We will continue to work in concert with stakeholders in Nassarawa State and all community leaders to make sure that we restrict all persons and groups that constitute a threat to public peace in our State. The disturbances in the three senatorial districts of Nasarawa State, comprising Awe to Doma and Ekye, Mararaba Udege as well as Kokona and parts of Nasarawa Eggon has been a challenge for those in leadership to stand up and be counted," he said.
The Minister warned those participating in violent activities that the enforcement of law and order is a must as government would not sit back and allow the reign of anarchy in any part of the country. He appealed to youths not allow themselves to be used to perpetrate violence on any reason; saying compromise will retard their future and the development of their communities.
"Let me seize this opportunity to particularly appeal to our youths, you must not allow people to use you for violence. Everything we are doing at the level of leadership is for young people, so if you don't give peace a chance you are condemning your future," Mr. Maku advised.
The Minister said: 'no ethnic group is an island in Nasarawa State and that all the ethnic groups must resolve to co-exist peacefully because there is no alternative to peace and unity in the state'. He enjoined the political class especially those in leadership positions to always ensure that peace and development are the basis of their participation in politics by creating the peaceful environments for people to engage in their normal businesses and earn their living.
Maku also commiserated with the communities affected by the recent violence and pledged to mobilise support to assuage their pains and ameliorate their sufferings.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Conference of PDP Local Government Secretaries in Nassarawa State, Sani Mohammed expressed displeasure that despite the Information Minister's peace advocacy to churches, mosques as well as socio-cultural organisations, recent happenings have indicated that misguided youths are still engaging in crises which are affecting the communal relationship that existed within the ethnic groups in Nassarawa State.
He condemned the renewed violence and called on the Federal Government to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the conflict with a view to penalizing the culprits. Mohammed berated the Spokesman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for questioning the integrity of Labaran Maku over his recent appointment as the Supervising Minister of Defence.
He averred: "For the information of Mr. Mohammed, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku was the first public figure in Nassarawa State to campaign against the activities of the Ombatse militia group. The people of Nasarawa State know the link between these violent groups and the APC Government in Nassarawa State. The APC's campaign in Nassarawa State towards the 2011 election was highly violent and was headed primarily by violent youths."
He alleged that the APC in Nassarawa State used most of the violent groups to further its campaign and later abandoned the youths to their own faith. "When you use people for election and dump them, there are always consequences. This is what all of us in Nassarawa State are now paying for," he stated.
Source: Maku receives Nassarawa State PDP Local Government Secretaries' concern, advocates peace vanguard (http://fmi.gov.ng/latest/30369/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maku-receives-nassarawa-state-pdp-local-government-secretaries-concern-advocates-peace-vanguard)
Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria