AHEAD of the 2019 elections, President Muhammadu Buhari, Friday, told Nigerians to preach tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

The President said doing so was a responsibility of all citizens of the country, who have a task of stopping selfish politicians from exploring the windows of religion and politicians to achieve their ill motives

President Buhari made the appeal when received a group known as the National Network for Community and Youth Development, NNCYD, led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.

According to him, “The fact that you are crossing religious, political and ethnic boundaries in your engagements is praise worthy. Now we are in the season of political campaigns unfortunately some people will attempt to take this opportunity to propagate their hateful agenda.

“Therefore it is our collective responsibility to also step up by preaching tolerance and understanding.

“As a government we are doing our best but we need non-governmental organizations like the National Network for Community and Youth Development to also support us in delivering the message of peace and unity after all we only have one Nigeria, our only country.”



He commended the group for its good work, saying that the country needs more of such good groups, in order to promote peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding among citizens of the country.

But the President lamented the dangers involved in the spreading of rumours through the social media, which he said was meant to reshape the world.

He said, “In the past decade the world has seen some fundamental structural changes, a good example is the digital and cyber revolution that is still reshaping the world as we all know.

“In many instances, this development positively impacts billions across the globe however; on the contrary, the same platforms are used as tools to propagate divisions and hatred. Nigeria is not isolated from these influences.

“We are seeing rising instances where social media platforms are being used to propagate hatred, through religious, political and tribal groups. These spiteful message that insight violence and are posted by a handful of unpatriotic people anonymously.”

Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the organisation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed said the aim of the group was to enlighten citizens of the country on the need to love one another, love the country and identify with good governance.

He said the group had since identified President Muhammadu Buhari as a champion of integrity and it will continue to support him.

Ahmed said though corruption was seriously fighting back, the President should maintain the fight, adding that with the support of few who are committed to the fight, he will surely succeed.

He said “At this point in time, Mr President, we have actualized our objective, established a first alliance foundation for positive change. This is in line with our realization of the fact that for so long this country has been governed under false pretenses.

“In our quest to make sure that Nigeria wakes up, we come and submit ourselves that we will rather persevere with temporary pains of following the path of truth rather than enjoying the comfort of deceit and falsehood in perpetuity.

“This is why at this point in time, we freely submit ourselves to the wonderful strides that you represent in this country: integrity and commitment to improve the quality of lives of Nigerians. This we did without being apologetic to anybody because we in Nigeria, if we did not come together to face the reality of adjusting the false life, and I can tell you I have been in government for quite sometimes but really, what we use to do must give way to the reality of our situation.

“In doing that we are bound to suffer, but the suffering for bringing integrity in this country is better, that is why the intellectuals here from the universities on their own, cooperating with the honorable members and partnering with our Christians brothers and sisters all over the country, we are determined to see that this country is changed for the better.

“The internalization of good things of life does not come with ease. That is why I said, this, country having gone through this rough path, we are a country in a hurry, people forget the past easily because sometimes they may not have known the past. Anybody who does not know the past will enjoy and dance for today, thereby, perpetually giving up his future.


“But we will not allow this to go on because we are Nigerians we must come together and do the correct thing. Even if it is one, two or three things that we continually do correct, we will definitely entrench a change in the system.

“We give you the necessary support because we know that you are a man of integrity, we know that you have insisted on doing things right in governance.

“Sir, this particular gathering, having been with them in the last five years, I can attest to the fact that at least, fifty percent of us are committed to seeing that the right thing is done and that you return elected in 2019.

“We commend your fight against corruption, but we have seen that it is also fighting back. If you can have even few people doing the right thing irruption and other vices will be forgotten sinner or later.”

Source: vanguard News