A frontline governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Imo State, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu has reminded politicians that life is too sacred to be reduced to some politics playing gambit and Nigeria’s unity sacrosanct. He urged calm, restraint and most importantly, patriotism among all stakeholders at this trying time.
He praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his professional, patriotic and matured handling of the situation.
“No matter how anyone may want to twist it to suit his or her political ends, there is no reasonable Nigerian who will not agree that President Buhari is doing well in the handling of these unfortunate incidents. The Army general in him has seen to a drastic reduction in cases of mass murder and terrorist activities across the country, and with our prayers and support, I am confident that these herdsmen killings will soon be totally eradicated.”
In a condolence message to families of victims of the Lagos petroleum tanker disaster and the killings in Plateau State linked to some terrorist herdsmen, the Imo State Chief of Staff said that these deaths are regrettable and called for action by security agents to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and further bloodletting is avoided. He expressed confidence in the ability of Nigerian security agencies led by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to rise up to the occasion and ensure that justice is served to the victims and their families.
In his words; “Politicians must not think that all is fair in politics. Politics must be played with conscience and human kindness. Death is not something we should play politics with. We must consider that the dead have family members and friends who are mourning their unfortunate departure from this realm and we mustn’t add to their sorrows by politicizing these deaths. Our duty as leaders is to commiserate with the families and profer strategies towards averting future occurrence of such tragedies.”
“Disasters of this nature are not peculiar to Nigeria. They happen everywhere, even in the most secured countries of the world. Available data show that Europe and United States have experienced more of such tragedies in the last few years than Nigeria, yet, politicians and activists in those climes do not make political capital out of such tragedies, rather they unite against the evil men who shed blood of the innocent and bring tears in the land. This is what we must do as responsible political leaders. We must support the President’s efforts in bringing lasting peace to these troubled parts of the country, and we should render as much humanitarian assistance as we can afford.”
The seasoned technocrat and chattered administrator also cautioned media houses against allowing their platforms to be used in the dissemination of false and inciting news.
“The media is a valuable watchdog of every society. We look to them for information and guidance. It is therefore important that editors of the various media houses in the country guard against sensationalism, especially, at this critical time in our nation’s history. We must appreciate the peculiarities of our nation and help in navigating our country to peace and safety rather than to war and crisis. We must do this bearing in mind that no one is safe when our country is plunged into war. We must all work for peace in our country, because there is no army strong enough to protect us all in periods of war.”
He also commended the efforts of governors from across political Parties and other Nigerian leaders who have made valuable contributions towards peace in the country.
