FG urged to review laws for equality of all

The National Peace Committee (NPC) has urged the Federal Government to review and enforce all laws relating to citizenship to ensure equality of all under the law.

The call was made in a statement by NPC Chairman, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Convener, NPC, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The committee encouraged the Acting President, Prof.Yemi Osinbajo and the government to remain steadfast in the steps taken to reassure all communities and citizens of an equal stake in the Nigerian project.

“In brief, Nigerians need an effective state that they can all call their own. So there is need to reinforce the following steps recommended by NPC:

“First we appeal that ongoing efforts to reach out to leaders from various parts of the country should be broadened into an honest dialogue with all segments of the Nigerian population.

“This is to ensure that ordinary citizens get the opportunity to convey their views to the government at the highest levels and get carried along in the formulation and implementation of government policies.

“The second one underscores the need for government to urgently work with the private and voluntary sectors to put in place measures to address the crisis of skills and jobs as key vectors of radicalisation.

“We advise the government to consult on the possibility of examining the reports of the Political Reforms Conference of 2005 and other National Conferences as the basis for continuing dialogue on co-existence among communities in Nigeria.’’

The committee also called on politicians to deny support to or endorsement of groups that harbour or express disdain for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

It expressed support for Government on the need to ensure effective enforcement of laws that prohibit hate and divisive speeches.

This, it said, was because such speeches constituted a threat to constitutional and collective right to live in a democracy founded on free expression.

“We’ve recently come to the end of the holy month of Ramadan; for millions of Nigerians, it was a time of spirituality, introspection and the request for God’s forgiveness.

“Therefore, there could be no better time than now for us to be thoughtful, deliberate and make ourselves worthy of divine mercy, especially in the atmosphere of a rise in divisive and hateful rhetoric in Nigeria.

“It is indeed, the appropriate time to underscore the imperative of peaceful co-existence of all communities and all Nigerians.’’

The committee said that Nigeria could not afford to stoke the fires of hate and divisiveness in its body politic, especially when ordinary Nigerians were engaged in difficult struggles to secure their livelihood, amid rising insecurity.

The NPC pointed out that many lives had been lost due to acts of violence, and many maimed for life or living in displacement while tens of thousands of children had been orphaned.

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It said that in many parts of the country, mass killings went unpunished and unresolved, inter-communal clashes had become chronic and economic deprivations were increasing, adding that the developments were sources of serious concern.

The group commended Osinbajo for engaging with leaders of influence across the South-East and the North in a bid to check the rise of mutual hostility and tension that had been stoked by elements from parts of the country.

It, however, said that the drums of rising division reflected the perceptions by citizens that there was poor governance in Nigeria today.

It accused politicians of being part of the problem, saying that those that failed to deliver on their mandates had found common cause with advocates of division and hate.

The committee noted that in many parts of the country, young people who had been left without means of livelihood or hope in their future had become converts to radicalization preached in guises of ethnicity and religion.

It said that at this time, more than ever, Nigeria needed government at all levels to work for the people with a commitment to respect the rule of law and to the security of all.

It also stressed the need for credible institutions, an economy that guaranteed a fair deal for hard working people, better physical infrastructure and an enabling environment in which citizens could thrive.

The committee called on state governments to commit to developing their own people more and relying less on Abuja to fund their consumption through monthly allocations.