A former Minister of the FCT, Senator Jeremiah Useni, has urged Nigerian citizens to embrace peace and shun violence in every form.
Useni made the appeal when the leadership of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists paid a courtesy visit on him in Jos, Plateau, on Saturday.
He said that violence and insecurity used to cripple every society and would create no room for development and growth.
“I believe that all tribes and languages are equal and we must live in peace with one another; violence and killings will lead us nowhere, they will just bring about underdevelopment and static growth.
“We belong to God, so no one should derive pleasure in taking away the life of another,” he said.
He pointed out the need for the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from their camps to their communities.
“The government should set up better accommodation for IDPs; or better still, secure their towns and villages to enable them return home and lead normal lives.
“I am not sure that the huge investments being spent in keeping these camps open are reaching the people affected,” he said.
The former minister also expressed worry on the state of the Nigerian roads, particularly in North Central states, and urged the Federal and state governments to pay urgent attentions to fixing them.
“The terrible state of Nigerian roads can lead to more loss of lives. I travelled on the Abuja – Kaduna road right to Zaria, it was so bad. The journey lasted more hours than we used to spend in the past.
“It is particularly bad from Zaria to Jos, especially, from Saminaka into the town. It is like there is no government on ground.
“Nevertheless, I want Nigerians to exercise more patience since government cannot fix everything at once, especially, in the face of the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
“Our roads, however, need to be fixed for easy movement from one part of the country to another, the roads in the Middle Belt are, particularly, bad,” he said.
Speaking on the recent leadership challenges facing the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Useni said that it was not peculiar to Plateau alone but expressed optimism that everything would be amicably resolved.
He charged journalists to always report fairly and correctly, adding that false reports would only make national situations ‘worse’.
Earlier, the State Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Gyang Bere, promised to always ensure journalists in the state work according to the tenets of the profession.
Bere admonished journalists in the state to be conflict sensitive in their reports so as to not escalate violent conflicts.