'Violence, enmity will never solve any problem,' Ag President says

The Acting President, Mr Yemi Osibanjo says violence and enmity will never solve any problem.

The Ag President said this on Friday in Kaduna during an interactive session with prominent community leaders at the Government House.

NAN reports that, those at the meeting included traditional rulers and religious leaders.

According to the Acting President, so many lives and properties were lost a result of crises among various communities in the country.

“I must say that, there is no question whatsoever that violence and enmity will never solve any problems that we are experiencing.

“There is no way that it will be resolved that way,” he said.

Osinbajo said he had read and studied reports on the crisis that engulfed the southern part of the state.

“I have looked at few documents including reports of past crises, and also have taken security briefings on what is going on here.

“I want to say that I don’t want to be in a hurry, I don’t want us to be in a hurry because I don’t believe that a crisis where there has been so much blood letting and so much hatred over the years can be resolved by a couple of meetings.

“I have said to the Governor, that what I will like to achieve is not a quick fix but I want us to begin a process and I want to be a part of that process.

“I want to see people as we have seated here and I want to listen to each group separately and then bring everyone together. I believe that resolving this crisis will take a process not at such meeting that we are having here.

“There are many who have so much to say but they have not said it , there are many who are extremely bitter and have not expressed their bitterness,” he said.

The Acting President said government would carefully study the situation so as to come out with concrete measures to put a lasting solution to the crises.

He urged the people of the state assist in finding a solution to the lingering crises to save the future generation.

“We owe it a duty. Everyone who is here today, as leaders, not just to ourselves or our family but to generation after us to ensure that we are able to put a stop to any evil that will consume lives and peace

” No one is at peace now, whether Christian or Muslim. If you look at every conflict in the world no matter how many people killed, no matter how much hate, how much venom, people must sit as we are sitting here to resolve it.

“The question then is how many more people do we want to die before we settle the matter, that is what we are required to decide,” he said.

He stressed that, God did not create people to kill one another but to live in peace and harmony.

In his speech, Gov Nasiru El-rufai, said the government has outlined, very clearly, the steps to address the security challenges in the three affected local government areas

“We feel our priority as a government is to stabilize the area and ensure that the attacks and killings are stopped or at least minimized.

“The second step is to end impunity by engaging in vigorous prosecution of all those involved in one way or the other,”he said.

He further said, anyone found to have been involved in killings, attacks or any act that was in violation of the state law, in the last 37 years, would be made to face the consequences.

He said his administration was determined to ensure adherence to law and order in the state, adding that it would be impossible to have peace without law and order

“Peace is a choice, the government cannot force anyone to live in peace what the government can do is to bring anyone that engages in violence to account,” he said.

He said peace could only be achieved when people choose to live in peace, when community leaders preach and encourage peace.