Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola,
has said Nigeria must act fast to prevent the crisis in the North-East
and other parts of the country from degenerating into another full-blown
civil war.
The governor said this in a statement in Osogbo on Wednesday to felicitate with the people of the state on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir.
He lamented the rising wave of violence
and insurgency across the world, saying at no time was the world peace
endangered like this in the history of mankind.
The
governor called on all Nigerians to support the administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari, saying doing this would be in the interest
of the nation.
He said, “With the drums of war and
violence resonating in all corners of the world, Nigeria must do
everything humanly possible to douse the tension in the North-East and
other parts before it escalates into full-blown war and spread to other
parts of the country.
“No nation can isolate itself from the
current global crises, including social, religious, political, economic
and human which are daily staring us in the eyes.
“What we need as a matter of necessity is
to have a clean break with the systems that have failed us or retarded
our growth as a nation; rethink and chart a new course for our
greatness.
“This is the fulcrum upon which President
Muhammadu Buhari based his government. Nigerians in whatever capacity
must identify with the new government and support it for the betterment
of ourselves and the nation at large.”
Aregbesola urged Muslims to use the occasion of Eid-el-Kabir to promote love and spread the message of peace to their neighbours and adherent of other religions.
“I call on Muslims in Osun and the entire Nigerian Muslim Ummah to seize the opportunity of the Eid to reach out to peoples of different faiths with greetings and messages of love and peace.
“Without peace and love, no nation unites
and no nation attains greatness in an atmosphere of disunity singing
discordant tunes,” he added.
Also, a former governorship candidate of
the Labour Party in Osun State, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, has said the path
to peace is not negotiable.
Akinbade said this in a statement issued on Thursday.
Akinbade, who is also a former Secretary
to the State Government, said without peace, nothing meaningful could be
achieved. He urged the people to ensure a rancour-free atmosphere in
order to have the desired progress.
He said, “Though the situation in the
state called for concern, owing to the insensitivity of the Aregbesola
administration to the plight of the people of the state, especially the
workers, the path of peace was not negotiable.
“Truly and without mincing words, the
psyche of an average Osun indigene has been thoroughly bruised as a
result of Aregbesola’s mishandling of the state on all fronts, but we
should just continue to bear the pain. It is just for a while.”
