A non governmental organization ‘Be A Builder of a Secure Nation’ under the Initiative for Conciliation and Right Protection ICRP have call on all Nigerians irrespective of their political and religious inclination to come together and put all hands on deck in eradicating the menace of insecurity that is bedeviling the county.
The group made the call in a press statement made available to the press in Abuja on Friday, the press release jointly singed by Dr . S.Y Abubakar, Dr Hasan Bala (Esq), Comerade G.N Nwokolo (Esq), also urged government to exhibit restrains in dealing with opposition views, as all Nigerian are stakeholders and are just making their inputs in the quest to build a great Nigerian.
The statement continues:
“Peace is the foundation of every nation’s development as it fosters unity, equality, selfless service and collaboration for the common good of all.
There is the need for us Nigerians to decide on a set of standard values that we will live by and nurture for many generations to come.
With misused opportunities in a cosmopolitan country having weak governance institutions where people largely and inappropriately rely on sub-optimal indices such as ethnic affiliation, religious links and family ties in the creation, allocation and distribution of resources and values, a country is bound to face disastrous challenges.
As a nation, we faced the collapse in oil prices coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the Nigerian economy was trapped in a severe economic recession, the worst since the 1980s based on the 2020 record, and the situation is still affecting the country.”
“With over 75 percent of Nigeria’s total land area which is over 910 thousand square kilometres, we believe that the provision of a stable security network, along with diversification of the Nigerian economy with specific emphasis on the solid mineral and agricultural sectors is feasible in view of Nigeria’s resource endowment.
When oppression and hardship perpetrated by those in authority becomes the norm of a running system, resistance will surely become a duty for the masses.
The Nigerian government should know that many Nigerians believe that it is only through stoic determination, patience and resilience that they can finally overcome the present situation that is full of persecution, banditry attacks and killings by ‘Boko Haram.’ But then, when one is being continuously attacked for no just cause, it becomes tempting to lash back, especially since ‘he attacked first,’ stands up as a feasible defence even in courts of law.
However, resistance without retaliation is quite instrumental when the target is a change of the minds of the people from negative to positive, not just a coup.”
“Attacks and killings are being carried out by some elements across the country and the government is not discharging its responsibility of protecting the citizens of this country.
In fact, the Nigeria Police were seen on several occasions attacking peaceful protesting Shi’a Muslims in Abuja and Kaduna state.
This group has been a target to multiple attacks and many other acts of gross injustice.
Despite the killings, the persecutions and the imprisonments, the members of the Islamic Movement, in accordance with their leader’s principles, have refused to take up arms, unlike other groups that threaten the unity and peace of the country.
Daily, we receive news updates highlighting vicious threats by many such groups all over the country airing their grievances as well as seeking for redress with their threats and actions, but are they faring any worse than the Shi’a Muslims? We’re talking about a group whose leader has been in and out of prisons at various times over the past decades all due to his stance on what he consider as injustice, corruption and oppression against the people.”
“Over the years, his followers have been killed and tortured on various occasions, the worst being the 2015 massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds of them, leaving thousands orphaned, and hundreds having their beloved offspring and spouses snatched away from them.
Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, leader of the Shia Muslims, has been held captive along with his wife and many followers since then, while suffering from various internal and external maladies.
The elderly couple has also been detained in facilities which are certainly unfit for them, even though they’re yet to receive proper treatment for poisonous deposits still present in their bodies sequel to the attacks rained on them during those trying days.”
“Plus, this was forcefully done despite a high court order ordaining their release.
The Sheikh has followers in their millions, yet they remained calm, hurt as they were by the acts directed towards them.
Perhaps if a similar treatment had been meted out to members of another group who are only a fraction of the Shia Muslims in number, they would’ve quickly taken up arms and called for revenge.
We want to use this opportunity to thank the Shi’a Muslims for refusing to take up arms and for being peaceful.
We urge them to remain peaceful as always, and stay focused on their noble goals. Their manner of approach has been peaceful and civil, even though the casualties on their side keep increasing.
The government must understand that all oppressive acts mostly backfire with time, baring the true faces of the tyrants to the world and sparking off even greater opposition.”
“Generally, it requires a great degree of willpower to tamper one’s anger or conceal one’s pain; imagine how much willpower is employed in acting calm and rational despite being the target of all sorts of atrocities!”
“Therefore, indeed, we commend Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky on his principled forbearance, along with his loyal followers who, despite being hounded off the streets, still remain peaceful.
A peaceful movement always sends more powerful messages in waves, eliciting empathy, loyalty and participation from all who have a regard for truth, justice and humanity.
We also want to plead with the Government to summon courage and release the leader of the Shi’a Muslims and his wife for the peace and unity of the nation.
In conclusion, people must understand that we need the government to protect us from the unrelenting insecurity. Without a proper government to guarantee security and maintain law and order, protecting citizens from bad eggs and from foreign foes will be difficult.
We must all join hands together and support the Government for good. It is our duty to call the government to order whenever it is not on the right track .”
“We will like to remind all those that are responsible for threatening some members of this group that protecting and supporting humanity is our key priority. We will continue exercise our constitutional rights in holding the government accountable whenever it fails to protect the people and when the its apparatus are used to oppressed them.
In most cases, human rights defenders are often harassed, detained, interrogated, imprisoned, tortured, and even killed for doing what is right.
The contribution of these brave individuals is important and vital. It protects the rule of law and democracy. Therefore, we want to categorically state that we will not bow to threats and harassment. We are going to continue to discharge our constitutional rights.”
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