*As Gombe Gov, Inuwa, DCCN leader, Maidoki, blame ‘self-serving’ elites over ethno-religious manipulations
By OUR REPORTER
The Sultan of Sokoto and Leader of Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has called on the nation’s leader to be fair and just in their God-given responsibility as one of the ways to get the country out if its current situation.
He said this with a sounded warning that the Almighty Allah will one day demand of the leaders’ stewardship in the hereafter, stressing that the challenges confronting the Nigeria currently demand a multi sectoral approach to addressing them.
Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, speaking at the Summit on Peace, organized by Da’awah Coordination Council of Nigeria (DCCN), on Thursday 5 August, 2021.
Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar, who is President of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Chairman, National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria (NTRCN), spoke Thursday at the 3rd National Summit of Peaceful Co-existence and Nation Building, organised by Da’awah Coordination Council of Nigeria (DCCN) and held at the Gombe International Hotel, Gombe, North Eastern Nigeria.
The Sultan, who leads over 100 million Muslims of Nigeria, appealed to citizens to unite and work for the common good of the country, particularly now that it is facing its greatest challenges in history.
President, Da’awah Coordination Council of Nigeria (DCCN), giving his welcome remarks at the Summit on Peace, organized by DCCN, on Thursday 5 August, 2021.
The spiritual leader of the Islamic faithful thanked the Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who provided enabling environment for successful hosting of the Summit, which seeks to – among other burning national issues – discuss peaceful coexistence, social cohesion and nation building.
In his remarks at the all-important event, the Gombe Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, lamented the ethno-religious manipulations by people he described as self-serving elites, adding that Nigeria is better together as one indivisible entity.
The governor, who hailed Da’awa Coordination Council of Nigeria for holding the Summit on Peace, inspite of the ethno-religious manipulation by the self-serving elites in the country, his administration remained committed towards pursuing the path of peace and tranquility in the interest of social, economic and infrastructural development of the state.
According to a statement by Ismaila Uba Misilli, the Director-General Press Affairs Gombe State Government House, Governor Inuwa Yahaya “noted with nostalgia the peace and harmony that had existed between Christianity and Islam, noting that those days appeared to have gone, especially with the current continuous manipulation of religions by some elites to cause chaos which is now threatening the fabric of the nation.”
He said Nigerians, irrespective of their ethno-religious backgrounds, must learn to understand, tolerate and leave with one another for the socio-economic and human development, noting that Gombe State, with its diversity, has remained relatively peaceful, thanks to the generational orientation on the need for peaceful coexistence.
The governor described the theme for the Summit, “Peaceful co-existence, Social Cohesion and National Development”, as apt and timely, saying the concepts of peace and national development are intertwine without which development of whatever kind will remain elusive.
“The Governor observed with concern, the manipulation of ethnicity and religions by some Nigeria elite to achieve their political and economic interests at the expense of human lives, calling on individuals in the habit of such narrative to desist from it as posterity may not leave to judge them kindly.
“Governor Inuwa Yahaya said growing up in a neighbourhood that was inhabited by Nigerians from other parts of the country in Gombe metropolis, he understood the benefits of peaceful co-existence as against discrimination which ultimately does no one any good.
“It is for this reason that the Governor assured the Sultan of Sokoto that his administration, along with the traditional institution in the State will continue to do everything necessary to promote peace and tranquility in the State and by extension the entire country,” the statement said.
Governor Yahaya expressed the hope that submissions at the end of the summit will assist the State in boosting her capacity towards understanding the dynamics of peaceful co-existence and how to better manage and sustain it.
“His Eminence has spoken and I agree that things are not normal and it is our own making; God has provided all the basics that we need in order to have peaceful and harmonious relationships but may be for the greed of some elites who are only good at destroying and not producing”.
He said the fight to make Nigeria great again is a collective one which needs the buy in of all men and women of goodwill to demystify the erroneous believe that religion is a tool for division rather than for peace and National cohesion.
The governor explained that the origin of crisis confronting the country can be traced to the manipulations of the nation’s elites who are always bent on causing confusion in order to satisfy their insatiable greed and desires.
He, therefore, warned that if nothing is done to quell the insecurity bedevilling the nation, especially the North West and the North East, the seemingly confided act of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping may engulf the country on a full scale.
The chairman of the occasion, Mohammed Kyari Dikwa, said peaceful co-existence and nation building are a collective responsibility of all and sundry.
He commended the Da’awah Coordination Council of Nigeria for initiating the annual submit aimed at not only promoting peace but also deliberating on critical national issues and finding ways to solving them.
Speaking in his welcome remarks, National President of the Da’awan Coordination Council of Nigeria (DCCN), Engr. Mohammed Lawal Maidoki, regretted the use of ethnicity and religion by some unpatriotic individuals to achieve their selfish goals.
For this singular reason, the DCCN President said the summit became necessary in order to dismiss suspicion between the two major faiths in the country.
The 3rd National Summit on Peaceful Co-existence and Nation Building of the Da’awa Coordination Council of Nigeria has in attendance the Representatives of John Cardinal Onayaikan and other Christian and Muslim leaders.
