President-General, NIREC, Alhaji Saad Abubakar

•IG wants security beefed-up

By Our Reporters

President-General of Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Nigeria (SCIAN) and co-chairman of the Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC), Alhaji Saad Abubakar, has congratulated Nigerian Christians as they join their counterparts across the world to celebrate the Easter.

In a special Easter felicitation message addressed to National President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yesterday, the sultan urged Christian faithful to rededicate themselves to the service of God, the nation and humanities.

In the same vein, Speaker of the House of Representatives,  Hon.  Aminu Tambuwal,  and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, his Kaduna State counterpart, Patrick Yakowa and Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed Thursday called for mutual respect and peaceful co-existence among adherents of different religions in Nigeria.

In his Easter message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, the Speaker  urged all Nigerians to unite and confront the  current security  challenges facing the nation as  threats to  public peace  does not respect the boundaries of  creed or  language.  

“I implore Nigerians to use the Easter period to renew their faith in God and strengthen the bond of friendship and brotherhood which have held the country united since the amalgamation in 1914.”

Shettima urged Christians to use the Easter period to offer prayers for the peace of the state and Nigeria as a whole.

The governor, who said no length of prayer should be seen as too long in seeking peace for Borno State so that it can regain its status of being the most peaceful state in Nigeria which gave it the slogan: ‘Home of Peace’, ask on the Christian faithful to dedicate special prayers to this.

Similarly, the Kaduna State helmsman noted that the commitment to national development which the current administration stands for can only be achieved through the “spirit of forgiveness, tolerance and peace which the season stands for.

This, according to him, explains why his administration constituted a ‘Peace and Reconciliation Committee’ that has began working to reconcile the various interest groups in the state.

Also in his message, Ahmed said the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ climaxed his mission on earth which is the redemption of mankind and the restoration of the essence of God.

He thanked Christian and other religious leaders in the State for cooperating with his administration which has ensured that the state remains the State of Harmony.

Ahmed advised Nigerians of all religious persuasions to use the period to imbibe and entrench the values of good neighbourliness and patriotism so that Nigerians would continue to live together in peace.

Similarly, the Arewa Consul-tative Forum (ACF) called for  genuine  reconciliation and the extension of love to all  regardless of religion and ethnic differences.

“That is about the only way to inspire peaceful coexistence that comes with tolerance, accommodation and relative pluralism, which are needed for any meaningful socioeconomic development,” the forum said in statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani.

“As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who, through pains and sacrifice associated with crucifixion, brought about the message of reconciliation and hope we urged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of tolerance and love.

Meanwhile, The Joint Military task force (JTF) in Kano State has disclosed that there was no cause for alarm on the alleged report of attack on Christians during the Good Friday/Easter celebration in the state.

Spokesman of the Joint military task force, Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha ,told THISDAY Thursday that the report carried by a national newspaper (Not THISDAY) was meant not only to cause anxiety in the state, it was also aimed at causing  trouble.

“There was no cause for concern’ over story carried by a national daily, its completely not true, and there is no anywhere I granted interview over the purported story carried attributed to me’, its a sponsored story by the enemies of peace aimed to cause anxiety in the state as the peace gradually returns to the state’.

“I appeal to the people of the state to continue with their normal activities and consider such publication as blackmail which we all believe is being sponsored by the enemies of the peace in the state”, he said. But in Abuja, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mahammed  Abubarkar, directed Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to provide adequate security in all places of worships during and after the  celebration.

The AIGs are to ensure that the vulnerable points are properly manned during and after the festive period.
Abubarkar in his Easter greetings to Christians urged Nigerians to respect the diversities of the nations, and to open their hearts to embrace peace and harmonious co-existence.

-ThisDay

Posted by admin on Apr 5 2012. Filed under Headlines, Sultan of Sokoto. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry