28th December, 2016
Former Minister of Information Labaran Maku has urged farmers, herdsmen and other Nigerians to embrace peace in order to achieve national food security.
Maku made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in his ancestral home, Wakama, Akun Development Area of Nasarawa State.
He advised them to shun violence no matter the level of provocation and unite in the interest of peace and national development.
Maku, a 2015 gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Nasarawa state, fielded questions on national stability and growth.
Maku, who is also the National Secretary of APGA, also urged herdsmen and farmers in the state to co-exist peacefully.
According to him, the persistent herdsmen/farmers crisis in the state is politically engineered to cause confusion along ethnoreligious lines.
“I want to congratulate Christians and Nigerians at Christmas and wish them prosperous New Year.
“Christmas season commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ who is the symbol of Christianity and there is no better way to celebrate the season than to demonstrate love, humility and generosity towards one another.
“As we celebrate, we must continue to extend hands of love and live as one big family irrespective of our background, and trust God for a better tomorrow and a greater country.
“Let all Christians and Nigerians at large to embrace the virtues of love, charity and peaceful co-existence that Christmas celebrations symbolize and use the season to reflect on the reason for the birth of Christ as well as developments in the country and keep hope alive.
“It is in view of this that I want to appeal to grazers and farmers and Nigerians at large to shun violence; violence could only end in the destruction of our lives and properties and hence the need for all of us to embrace peace.
“The problem of grazers and farmers in the state is politically engineered to cause confusion between tribe and religion so that the people will not be united to vote the people they want and those causing the confusion want to continue to be in power,” the former minister said.
“Whenever you see the masses killing each other, there is conspiracy at the top, hence the need for the people of Nasarawa state to shun divide and rule principle and be united to elect credible leaders for good governance,’’ he said.
Maku urged Nigerians to use the period of Christmas to continue to pray hard for the peace of the country, adding that no nation or country can achieve meaningful progress without peace.
Besides, the ex-minister urged Nigerians, especially youths, to be peaceful, law abiding, respect constituted authorities and be hard working.
He further urged Nigerians to continue to live in peace and tolerate one another irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliation for the overall development of the country.