From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, have called on communities to do more to avoid incessant crises by learning to live in peace.
The NSA said both the government and the security agencies had learnt some lessons from the last sectarian crisis in Plateau, vowing that it would not repeat itself.
Speaking at the headquarters of the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Jos yesterday, Ribadu said the Federal Government was putting measures to ensure the protection of lives and property.
“The sad part of it is that people who live together as one in communities, from time to time, tend to be unable to control issues that could probably be resolved through peaceful dialogue.
“And then miscreants, criminals, will take advantage. And little things will spark things that will get out of control. We have seen it all over. We are learning lessons from it.
“But, I can assure you that things have improved and it will even be better as we continue. This incident that we witnessed, we learned. Hopefully, we will not see it again.
He said that he’s sent by President Bola Tinubu to assess the situation and how issues could be resolved.
“And that is why I have come with this message, we say that we know this is enough. It has to stop, whatever it takes. Nigeria will continue to be grateful to members of the armed forces and the security services.
“We are going through tough times, difficult times, but it’s not going to be forever. The issue of security is for all of us. We all have to come together. Everyone has a role to play.
“The third part is that when people who live together as one community are unable to resolve issues peacefully, miscreants and criminals take advantage. Little things then spark off crises that spiral out of control. We’ve seen this over and over.
“We are learning lessons from it. But I can assure you—things have changed, improved, and will get even better as we move forward across the country, and on the Plateau as well.
“This incident we witnessed over the last 10 days, hopefully, we will not see again. And that’s why I’ve come with this message,” he said.
Ribadu said that because of the efforts of security agencies, crises on the Plateau had reduced by 90 percent and called for diligence on the part of the people.
He appealed to the media to report accurately and not to exaggerate.
“We have lost many people, but it’s not exactly like the figures you see out there. But even one soul lost is a lot. We also appeal to the media to verify and report accurate, appropriate information. Telling the truth helps us get through this together. It helps us keep our contracts and live in peace and security.
“The president is saying, enough is enough. It has to stop. Whatever it takes, whatever we have done to achieve this level of improvement, relatively, we are going to double it. We will do more.
“We will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure peace and security, so that our people can live normal lives.
“Anything that disturbs the peace and security of people, nothing else will work. The government won’t have the chance or opportunity to function if people do not live in peace.
“Without peace, nothing can work; no progress, no growth, no development, no education, no health, nothing.
“So, fundamentally, whatever we do, we have to ensure that first and foremost, we live in peace. That is the most important.”