Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, has raised the alarm that the security situation in Nigeria is worsening, and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, convene a dialogue meeting to discuss the peace and unity.
Sultan said the dialogue meeting would be attended by traditional, community and religious leaders, opinion leaders, people from political and business communities and other people that matter in the affairs of Nigeria, to deliberate on issues of rising insecurity across Nigeria.
Delivering his remarks at the third quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, the Sultan said the security situation had assumed an alarming and worrisome dimension and could consume more people if urgent steps are not taken to reverse the trend.
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“Things are getting worse in Nigeria by the day, especially the security situation. Unfortunately, our military and intelligence agencies seem not to be doing enough to bring an end to the killings,” he noted.
He charged security agencies to fish out the people causing the trouble across and prosecute them to serve as a deterrent.
“It’s important we sit together and discuss the issues that concern this nation. Most times, we meet at NIREC, discuss issues and arrive at a conclusion. Unfortunately, people would go about and be doing otherwise, particularly preaching hatred and violence.
“We must be truthful to one another. What is so difficult in the president organising a dialogue that would have in attendance impressive participation of the traditional rulers, opinion leaders, market leaders, elder statesmen and every person that has something to contribute?
“If such a meeting is eventually convened, we should look ourselves eyeball-to-eyeball and tell ourselves the truth. We shouldn’t be afraid of such conversation again because things are deteriorating.
“Dialogue is the best approach because whatever cannot be achieved through dialogue will remain unachieved with violence.
“It’s time we rise up and look beyond ethnic and religious sentiments, and tell ourselves the truth that what is happening in Nigeria is not right and make suggestions on the way forward.”
