To collaborate with traditional rulers to end the menace
The Federal Government, on Thursday, reiterated its readiness to dialogue with terrorist Boko Haram sect and other aggrieved groups, while calling on them to cease fire.
Vice President Namadi Sambo said this at the National Symposium, organised in Abuja by Nasirul-Lahi-Faith Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), tagged “Islam and Peaceful Co- Existence in a Contemporary Multi-Religious Society’.
Sambo, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the occasion said: “Government is ready to discuss. History has proven that even wars that are fought for decades, at the end, are only concluded by dialogue.”
The vice-president lamented the activities of some negative forces whose activities have portrayed Islam in a negative and evil light, saying: “Islam is a religion of peace; it is a way of life. It cannot promote senseless killings and wanton destruction of property. I am not aware of any religion in the world that encourages unprovoked and relentless attack on other people.”
He reiterated the determination of the current administration to provide adequate security for the lives and property of all Nigerians and visitors.
Sambo commended the organisers of the symposium, noting its aptness, adding that it would help to educate the public on the Islamic view of peaceful co-existence and the concept of Jihad.
In a similar development, the Minister of Defence, Bello Mohammed, disclosed that the Federal Government, in collaboration with some traditional rulers, is set to bring Boko Haram sect to the negotiating table with a view to ending the menace of violence perpetrated by the group.
Speaking when he received the Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Roberto Colamine, in his office, Mohammed said that FG had resolved to use traditional and official leaders to bring the group to a dialogue.
“The concern of the government is peace and what the government is doing is for the benefits of all Nigerians,” he said.
According to him, the security challenges posed by Boko Haram sect are temporary and with dedication and hard work, the challenges posed by the group have been restricted to some few local government areas, even when their original intention was to make Nigeria ungovernable.
He assured that President Goodluck Jonathan was determined to make a difference in the governance of the country with the transformation agenda, adding that the changes being envisaged would make the citizens embrace positive ways of doing things.
The minister said that a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian government and Italian government, which would enhance Nigera’s peace keeping efforts, was awaiting the ratification of the Federal Executive Council.
Earlier, the Italian Ambassador to Nigerian, Roberto Colamine, had called for co-operation and dialogue in resolution of the security challenges, adding that the ratification of the MoU would further strengthen the relationship between both countries.
