and religious prejudices will not augur well for the development of the
country, adding that his administration will continue to create the
enabling environment for religious freedom as guaranteed by the Nigerian
Constitution.
Speaking when the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic
Affairs (NSCIA) led by its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto,
Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, paid him a courtesy call, President Buhari
said:
“The Federal Government will continue to promote religious freedom as it
is a constitutional responsibility. I must thank the Muslim ummah for
promoting inter-religious dialogue in the country. It is self-evident
that if the country must work, we must continue to work together in
spite of our ethnic, religious and political differences because Nigeria
is our collective project.
“Accordingly, the Federal Government under my leadership does not and
will not allow religious prejudice or partisanship to influence any of
its decisions and policies. It is my solemn decision to be fair and just
to all segments of society.”
The president assured the delegation that government was doing all
within its powers to bring the current state of insecurity to the barest
minimum, calling on the local community to assist the security forces as
they perform their roles:
“The Federal Government has worked tirelessly to combat insecurity and
other challenges that are confronting the country. Security is a
protracted problem but we are not relenting in our efforts. Not only are
we equipping the military, we are also boosting their morale to perform
their constitutional duties without undue interference. We are also
encouraging locales to enhance their intelligence gathering and timely
remitting to the security Agencies.
“I acknowledge that security is the first responsibility of Government
but Government cannot do it alone. It requires stakeholders, such as
yourselves. Therefore, I urge you to lend your support to the security
agencies by providing information that may stem the tide of crimes and
insecurity in the society.”
He also spoke on efforts of his administration towards making life
better for the average Nigerian:
“We are diversifying the economy and putting appropriate mechanisms in
place to reduce poverty and more fiercely combat corruption, regardless
of the status of those involved.
“Programmes such as N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, Government
Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and Home-Grown School Feeding are
just some of the interventions made to empower Nigerians and cater for
their needs.
“The National Social Investment Programme alone has directly benefited
four million Nigerians through job training and financial assistance.”
President Buhari called on the leaders to continue “speaking to our
people and to help amplify this message through your very tried and
tested networks” and to give full backing to the Alternate School
Programme which he launched on Tuesday.
He said the it was “designed to not only address our high out of school
rates, but it will boost our levels of Girl Child education while also
equipping our youth with the right tools in making decisions at every
turn of their lives when confronted by peddlers of evil and hateful
messages… and also address the public health crises that the world is
currently facing.”
The president used the opportunity to appeal to Nigerians to support the
government’s efforts on COVID-19:
“As Government continues to work towards managing this crisis, it is
also critical that you lend your voices in support of those basic but
fundamental protocols that can significantly curtail the spread of this
disease – Washing of our hands, Using facemasks and ensuring social
distancing as much as possible have been proven to be our first line of
defense in the fight against this virus.
“Furthermore and much more important, when the vaccines which we are
working hard to procure for the nation arrive, please, please join in
the drive to educate people that these vaccines are meant to save lives
and protect everyone.”
Earlier in his address, Sultan Abubakar commended the president for the
successes achieved so far in the Northeast, calling on the government to
deal decisively with the banditry that is raving the Northwestern States
of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and some parts of the North Central.
While expressing confidence that security forces, with better synergy
among them, will overcome present challenges, he solicited for the
cooperation of all the governors with the federal government
irrespective of their political leanings, calling on Nigerians to
support the new leadership of the armed forces.
The NSCIA leader also appealed to Nigerians, particularly religious
leaders, to refrain from making inflammatory comments that tend towards
sowing discord in the polity and exacerbating the current level of
insecurity in the land. He asked that religious leaders making
subversive comments should be called to order.
The Sultan equally identified with the ‘Hate Speech Campaign’ of the
Minister of Information and Culture. He said ‘Hate Speech’ is
aggravating insecurity in the country and that “we have to act.”