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From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Gombe State Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya has called on traditional, community and religious leaders in the state to work and live for peace to ensure the development of their respective domains.
The governor said that most conflicting communities in the state have no reason for raising arms against each other only if they look back and learn from the history of their forefathers. According to him, residents in the state need to look beyond having an act of revenge whenever they are hurt or ill-treated.
Governor Yahaya stated this while inaugurating the state’s Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board on Tuesday in Gombe, he called on the board members to lead by example. He said: “Our administration is always for peace and development of Gombe state and its citizens”.
The governor said: “As traditional, religious and community leaders let us try and coexist with one another peacefully. He lamented the recent reoccurrence of communal clashes in the southern part of the state.
Governor Yahaya who was represented by Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Prof Abubakar Njodi at the inauguration said: “now that are expected to happily go back to our farms as the rainy season sets in, but unfortunately, we are hearing of communal clash between our people, this is so disheartening”.
“We have to work on ways to restore our old days’ habit of living in peace as our brothers’ keepers. God has blessed us all with the right thinking and knowledge on how to coexist with others peacefully, so we don’t need anybody to come and tell us what we need to do to live in peace. I expect you all as leaders in your respective communities to intervene in this matter because the people listen to you.
We as a government have done our part to ensure that there is peace and security in every part of the state, what is left now is for you to talk to your people and ensure that we have the desired peace and security in our state. The Police, Soldiers, Civil Defense and other security agents have a little to contribute to ensuring peace and security in our communities,” the governor said.
He added saying: “all the security agents can do is to arrest and enforce the law and that has never been the way to ensure peaceful coexistence, we have to look beyond having a revenge, yes, we must have issues with one another but that is not enough to jeopardize the peace and well-being of our community, if we insist on having an eye for an eye, the whole world will go blind.”
