ABDULSALAMI, SULTAN BLAME THE ELITE FOR NIGERIA’S WOES November 5, 2013 - 3:25am Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) and Sultan of Sokoto and President General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, have blamed the elite for the problems bedevilling the country. Both men spoke at different fora yesterday. The Sultan spoke in Sokoto when the Senator Femi Okurounmu-led Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue visited his palace while Abdulsalami spoke during the opening ceremony of the 4th International Peace Conference of Forum for Cities in Transition (FCT), held in Kaduna. The Sultan said, “The elite are the main problem of Nigeria and most of the woes of the nation as they are now, were brought about by these group of people. The elite are the problem and not the teeming masses of the country who are toiling daily to put food on their tables. “Most of the leaders had gone astray and they had forgotten about the day of judgment. We will all account for our deeds and leadership before God and answer queries. In the conference, all the thorny issues should be squarely addressed. Blames should be apportioned where they are supposed to be apportioned. We should also remember that life is a passing phase.” The royal father urged members of committee to work with the fear of God and recognise the religious diversity of Nigeria. Earlier in his remark, Okurounmu told the Sultan that the committee was going round the country to meet with relevant stakeholders as part of its mandate. He further disclosed that the committee members were out to collate the views of Nigerians as regards the validity, legality and acceptability or otherwise of the proposed national conference. Similarly in Kaduna, Abdulsalami, who was the guest speaker at the conference, said the diversity of the nation ought to have been its strength, saying that it is regrettable that the unique blessing is being misused. The former head of state noted that Kaduna used to be a home for all irrespective of religious or tribal affiliations but has been torn apart by ethnic and religious strife. He said, “The problem was not in our tribes or religions, but what we are witnessing is the handiwork of some wicked politicians, religious leaders and elites who are using the same instrument that made them to destroy the society.” He urged organisers of the conference to reach out to aggrieved parties and ensure that religions and tribes were used as instruments of development of the society and not anarchy. However, the Chairman of the Kaduna State Council of Traditional Rulers and the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, attributed the various crises in the society to drug use among youth, which is fuelled by sponsors. He urged the conference organiser and governments at different levels to find lasting solution address the problem of the youth so that there will be peaceful coexistence in the society. In his speech, the Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, said that there was no alternative to dialogue if the nation is to march forward and sustain the present peaceful coexistence being enjoyed in the country. He blamed selfish people for the problems in Kaduna State. He said, “My administration is putting everything in place and we are ready to accommodate every tribe and religion in the state, because we believe there is no alternative to peaceful coexistence and this has started yielding positive results as investors have started showing interest in the state.” He expressed worry at the continued segregated living pattern among the people of the state following Sharia crisis in 2000 and 2011 post -election violence in the state which led him to invite a university lecturer, and chairman, Peace and Reconciliation McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston in the United States, Patrick O’Malley , to talk on how aggrieved communities could reconcile and make peace to enable them live together.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 11:20:08 +0000
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