I’ll Treat All Nigerians Equitably – Buhari

BEVERLY HILLS, November 3, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that he will keep faith with the oath of office he swore, and treat all Nigerians equitably.

He made the declaration on Thursday , as he received the Executive Committee Members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) from the 19 Northern States and Abuja, at the State House.

The President equally pledged to restore peace to all parts of the country, saying “Restoring peace is top priority. We will enable the law enforcement agencies to combat all forms of violent crimes, and ensure that our people live in peace.”

The President also urged the clerics to promote religious harmony, by “enhancing understanding among different faiths” adding that his government would maintain the priority it has placed on agriculture and mines and steel development, “to kick-start the economy.”

The Chairman of CAN in the 19 Northern States and Abuja, Rev. Yakubu Pam, said it was not a mistake that God chose President Buhari to lead the country at these challenging times.

“We are ready to support your administration to deliver good governance. You have good intentions for Nigeria, judging from the programmes that have been outlined,” Rev. Pam said.

He also highlighted ethno-religious challenges in the country, freedom of worship, and herdsmen/farmers' clashes in their discussion with the President.

The CAN leader commended the Buhari administration for the blow dealt Boko Haram insurgents, “leading to comparative peace in the North-east,” the return of 21 abducted schoolgirls from Chibok, and the anti-corruption war, which he urged “should be fought to the logical conclusion.”

“We came to present ourselves as the Northern CAN chapter to the President and to tell him some of the challenges that Northern Christians are passing through,” he told reporters after the meeting.

“One of those challenges is that we are having difficulties in expressing our faith in the northern part of the country. We have also told him some of the difficulties we are passing through with the Fulani herdsmen.

“The farmers need to be protected and in fact, we told the President that we have been encouraging our youths to go into farming and they need to be protected and when they come into the city, there is no employment; that is why farmers must be protected.

“We also talked on the issue of girl child abduction in the North. In some Northern states, some young girls and children are being abducted at 12 years old and the parents will just hear that the girls have been married to traditional rulers and emirs.

“This is gathering a cloud of crisis already and if that is not taken care of it will lead to a serious crisis. These are the issues we told the President.”

Story by Oputah David