Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Tuesday urged Nigerians to stop using religion and ethnicity to cause disunity and confusion in the country.
Addressing Kaduna State Council of Chiefs and Emirs in Kaduna at their quarterly meeting yesterday, the governor explained that the rationale behind the Religious Bill introduced by the state government, is central to security, peace and allowing everybody to practice his or her faith without any challenge.
He vowed that his administration will continue to ensure peace and purposeful integration as a collective resolution.
Gov. El-Rufai, however, appealed to traditional rulers to preach peace among their subjects for development, adding that human life is sacred and government will do its best to protect lives and property.
According to him, “People are using religion and ethnicity to divide people to achieve political and several interests. We must work hard and ensure that forces of disunity and confusion fail, we must continue to stand up and nip in the bud all attempts to divide Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines. The human life is sacred and as a government we must do our best to protect lives and properties”.
He pointed out that, “The rationale behind the Religious Bill is central to security, peace and allowing everybody to practice his or her faiths without any challenge. It has nothing to do with stopping anyone from his or faith but purely for security and peace of the state and nothing more than that I have said it and will continue to preach it, we have more to gain with peace and nothing to gain with violence.
“This is our collective resolution and we will continue to ensure peace and purposeful integration. I am here to commend you and to urge you to continue on that path”.
“The proposed amendment of religious bill before the State House of Assembly has nothing with stopping anybody from practicing his or her religion, whether as a Christian or a Muslim. We are calling on the people to be on alert in order not to fail in their hands of people trying to divide the people along religion and ethnicity to cause problem.
“Those people trying to divide our people for their selfish interest should desist. If you are a Christian you must respect your fellow Muslim brother and if you are a Muslim you must respect your fellow Christian brothers too. Violence will not take us nowhere in the state”, El-Rufai said.
On his part, Deputy Chairman Kaduna State Council of Chiefs and Emirs, who doubles as the Chief of Kagoro, Ufuwai Bonet, said they would continue to sustain peace in their domains.
“We thank the governor for this meeting. We will continue to preach peace to our people. We assure you of our loyalty”, the monarch pledged.
