Peace, now the most expensive commodity in Nigeria -Abdulsalam

Former Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar has said peace is the most expensive commodity in the country now and needs the contribution of all to restore.

The military ruler, respected for handing over power to a democratic government, noted that every Nigerian has a role in making the country's elections credible, insisting that the task is  not just that of the electoral body, government or security agencies.

'Citizens of the country must therefore be law abiding and live in peace with one another, to move the country forward.' He said.

Abdulsalam who was in Gombe on Monday to offer condolences to the government and people of the state over the demise of the former Emir of Gombe, Shehu Usman Abubakar, as well as congratulate the new Emir, Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, in a remark, described peace as the most expensive commodity and so everyone in the country must contribute towards maintaining peace in every part of the country, as there can be no meaningful development without peace.

'The most expensive commodity in Nigeria now is peace. So I appeal to Nigerians, we should do all we can to sustain the peace and tranquility in this country because without peace there will be no country and nobody can go out and look for his livelihood. All of us have a role to play in maintaining peace in this country.' He said.

Commenting on the forth-coming 2015 general elections, Abubakar admonished politicians to adhere to the rules of the game instead of insisting on winning at all cost.

'As we go to the polls in 2015, every Nigerian has a role to play in ensuring that our elections are credible. How do we do that? By ensuring that we vote according to our conscience, according to the candidate we like and to ensure that our votes count. There is always room for improvement. Nation building is a continuous process. You do your own, you move ahead and your successor builds on what you left, he leaves, another person comes and it continues. So democracy is always a learning process. You can never have a perfect democracy.' Abdulsalam stated.

Punch