TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that stoking ethnic and religious tensions will not help the country.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja when the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) paid him a courtesy visit, Buhari said if Nigeria must work, citizens must put aside their differences and focus on working together.

The president added that his government would not allow religious prejudice or partisanship to affect its decisions and policies.

“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,” Buhari said.

“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.”

Buhari assured the delegation that the government was doing all within its powers to bring the current state of insecurity to the barest minimum while calling on the local community to assist the security forces.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto and NSCIA president who led the delegation, called on the government to deal decisively with banditry in the north-west.

He further appealed to religious leaders to refrain from making inflammatory comments that could escalate insecurity in the country.