By Lawal A. Dogara,Kaduna
Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has told traditional rulers that the government was committed to rescuing the abducted girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state and return them to their families.
He said in Kaduna on Monday that Nigerians must,however,play their part of complimenting government efforts so as to win the current war against terrorism and insurgency.
Sambo who was represented by the Deputy Governor in Kaduna state,Ambassador Nuhu Audu Bajoga,spoke at a two day national conference on “Culture, Peace And National Security: The Role Of Traditional Rulers In Nigeria’s Democracy,” organised by the National Institute For Cultural Orientation (NICO).
“I wish to reassure Nigerians that the present administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is unequivocally committed to the promotion of peace and security in Nigeria. We will not only ensure that the girls abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, are brought back safely to their parents, but we are working assiduously to ensure that Nigeria is safe for Nigerians and foreign investors”, he said.
He said Nigerians must collectively join hands with the government to confront the current problems of insecurity in the country,while government was also working hard to make the government conducive for investment.
He charged the monarchs to maintain their status as custodians of culture and tradition,saying they were critical to the sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy.
“The objectives of this conference are in tandem with government’s call for Nigerians to collectively confront the current problems of insecurity, insurgency, violence, kidnapping and other negative tendencies which have bedevilled our development as a nation.
Until we appreciate that the maintenance of peace and security is everybody’s business, the security challenges confronting us as a nation, will remain intractable. There is no denying the fact that it is the responsibility of government to ensure sustainable peace and security.”
“However, for government to succeed, the citizens are also expected to play complementary roles, which are invaluable in helping government and the security agencies to check the activities of criminals and insurgents.
“Our current security challenges are clearly the resultant effects of the breakdown or abandonment of our cherished cultural values of honesty, hard work, respect for elders and constituted authority, as well as respect for the sanctity of human life.
There is therefore the urgent need for deliberate cultural re-engineering that places high premium on our cherished cultural values. Our traditional institutions have a critical role to play in this regard.
Earlier,the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke who was represented on the occasion by the Director General of the National Museum and Monument, Alhaji Yusuf Abdallah, said that the prevailing disturbances of their peaceful coexistence following incidences of terrorism and the recent painful abduction of over 200 female students was unacceptable.
“The maintenance of peace and security is of utmost importance to the present administration, that unhealthy criticism of government, misguided utterances, misinformation and uncooperative behaviour of various sections of the country will definitely not do the nation any good.”
The Father of the day and Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi argued that even well operated democracies have challenges to contend with because man and huis environment are dynamic in nature.
The Shehu of Borno who was represented by the Emir of Machina, Alhaji Bashir Al-Bishir said these challenges can be surmounted once appropriate measures are taken through proper consultations, saying “Nigerian is no different as a country and our current challenges of terrorism and insecurity can be tackled through an organised forum.
He said further that tracing the history of governance and democracy in Nigeria will not be complete without the activities of traditional rulers as their role were much clearer during the colonial and early post independent era.
He lamented that these roles of the traditional institutions have been ignored, hence the traditional institution has become merely ceremonial and their contribution to democratic governance regarded as near inconsequential.
He stressed that the role, operation and welfare of traditional rulers must be clearly spelt out constitutionally so as to enable them contribute effectively to national development, saying “it is our desire that as the custodians of culture, we should leave a lasting and enduring legacy for the younger generation and generations yet unborn”.
Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma lamented that since the return to democracy in 1999, the nation has experienced numerous ethno-religious, political, socio-economic and electoral conflicts.
He noted that “before our very eyes, some of these conflicts have escalated to criminality, insurgency, terrorism and general insecurity, unleashing unmitigated pains that are adversely affecting the psyche of Nigerians as exemplified by the abduction of the over 200 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state”.
Follow Us On WhatsApp
