The Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Faruq Bahago, has appealed to the Federal Government to ignore whatever publications and or provocative utterances from any quarter but carry every segments of Nigeria along for peace to reign.
The Emir also expressed gratitude to the Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubarkar Sani Bello, for creating and upgrading additional chiefdoms and district heads for grassroots government.
The Emir spoke during the traditional sallah homage/ mini durbar on Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello at Government House on Saturday.
He said, “Federal, states and local government councils should not be distracted by whatever perceived negative publications or provocations but consider the positive side of such publications to move the country forward instead of dwelling on negativities.
“Diversity in nature and unique cultural values of tribe and tongue should be used to Nigeria’s advantage instead of infighting over allegations of provocative utterances and offensive publications which only further widen the gap between government and the governed.”
The Emir attributed the peace enjoyed among the diverse tribes and religions in Niger State, Minna emirate council in particular, to the level of tolerance and respect for one another’s religion and cultural values.
The royal father also commended the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government for the various socio-economic policies, including the anchor borrowers’ scheme which he said has helped in pushing the agricultural sector to desired level.
“I commend the federal government for the various agricultural policies that have improved Nigeria’s economy. Today yam is being exported to other parts of the world”, the Emir said as he called on Nigerians to take advantage of the various policies for sustainable growth and development.
Governor Bello in response said that the creation of more chiefdoms and districts was in recognition of the role played by traditional institutions to the maintenance of peace among the diverse tribes and religions.
The government also initiated a number of economic policies, particularly in the agricultural sector with the view to not only create jobs but reduce dependency on government instead of becoming employers of labour.
Governor Bello however challenged traditional institutions to educate their subjects on the need to be security conscious and to report people with suspicious characters or criminal intents to security agencies.
.Surce: nigerianewsflight.com