A Niger Delta-born peace and environment advocate and convener of Nigeria for Peace Project, Chief Comrade Sheriff Mulade, has reiterated that peace is very important in the present-day Nigerian situation.
Comrade Mulade, who is also the National Coordinator of Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, an NGO, stated this in Kano, Kano State during a week-long peace advocacy visit to the northern State.
His first port of call was the Kano State Chairman of CAN, Bishop John Namaza Niyiring.
The NGO boss also visited Major General Zamini Sarham (Rtd), HRH, Dr Faruk Umar Faruk, the Emir of Daura, Katsina State and His Royal Highness, the Etsu Nupe of Niger State where he strongly advocated the urgent need for unity and reconciliation in Nigeria, through the promotion of peace, equity and justice at all times.
He said, “I am here with the co-convener of the project, Alhaji Ibrahim Waiya, to formally inform you that a project tagged Nigeria for Peace (N4P), an intervention initiative, was conceived and birthed by some like-minded civil society officials and patriotic individuals from across Nigeria who strongly believe in the nation’s unity.” He said recently, the nation has been confronted with many security, communal, and ethnoreligious conflicts which have threatened the foundation of our dear country.
“It is imperative to state that the unity of Nigeria has continued to be threatened by bad elements who whipped up religious, ethnic and regional sentiments during political campaigns. This situation runs counter to our collective resolve to be a united and peaceful nation,” he emphasized.
Comrade Mulade asserted that it was to achieve this objective that made some non-state actors and patriotic Nigerians, who had been working on national unity and peace come together and champion the project through concerted efforts to complement other initiatives to restore and sustain national unity, cohesion, and peaceful coexistence, with sustainable national development as their goal.
In his response, the Kano State CAN Chairman, Bishop John Namaza Niyiring commended the group for the initiative, noting that Nigeria is in dire need of peace and total restoration, and promised to be part of the peace-building process. For his part, Maj. Gen. Zamini Sarham (Rtd) thanked the group and also appreciated them for the laudable move, calling on all and sundry to support the peace project for the sake of unity and well-being of our dear nation.
Addressing the delegation at his palace, His Royal Highness, Dr Faruk Umar Faruk, the Emir of Daura, Katsina State gave the group kudos for embarking on such a huge project to save Nigeria.
“We cannot pretend to be safe because our country has been faced with many serious challenges ranging from insurgency, armed banditry, kidnapping, to political thuggery and religious intolerance, all of which have helped to further deteriorate the unity of Nigeria. I want to assure you that I am fully in support of the project, and I will be committed to undertaking any responsibility for a peaceful and united Nigeria,” he added
The delegation was also at the palace of the Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Traditional Council, HRH Maj. Gen. Yahaya Abubakar (rtd). Responding, the Royal Father thanked the team and encouraged them to sustain the movement so as to fix Nigeria, despite our ethnic, cultural and religious diversities, to fast-track the development of our dear Nation.
