The Federal Government has
appealed to churches and other religious organisations to use their platforms
to propagate the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
administration.
The Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the appeal at his country home, Oro, near
Ilorin, Kwara, when he paid a Sallah visit to the Parish Priest of St Andrews
Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Joseph Awoyale.
He also urged the Churches to use
their platform to correct the misconception being circulated by naysayers that
Farmers/Herdsmen were religious and ethnic induced.
Mohammed said the clashes were
neither religious nor ethnic but resulted from the heightened contest for
increasingly-scarce natural resources like land and water, due to demographic,
environmental and other reasons.
The Minister said, “Without any
form of contradiction, no administration in the history of this country has
achieved so much in so little a time and with so little resources in the area
of infrastructure.
“We want informed criticism of
this administration and we believe that the Church is a better place because
you control and influence many souls.
“We are not asking anybody to do
us an undue favour.
“Where we have performed, people
should appreciate and accept it and if they don’t want to, they should stop
spreading false information about this government.
“Religious disharmony that is
being propagated today by some religious leaders is avoidable and adherents of
the two major religions do not have to be enemies.
“However, most of our detractors
realising that they cannot fault us on this never talk about the projects
rather they are inventing fake news to de-market the administration.
“Also, governors that have not
performed will like to heap the blame on the Federal Government.
“But I challenge any of them to
match what they have done in the area of infrastructure compare to the Federal
Government intervention projects in the state.
“Be rest assured that this
administration is committed to infrastructural renewal of this country and we
are leaving no stone unturned.
“The administration is working to
undo the 20 years of damage by the previous governments.
“If a government comes in three
years and able to revive, complete and make provision for abandoned
infrastructure, it is only fair for the people to appreciate.
“Admit that the government has
responsibility to provide infrastructure, we also expect some degree of honesty
from the people and community.”
The minister stated further that
the killings in some parts of the country were plotted in order to divide the
two religions.
“Thank God the killings have now
gone down drastically, thanks to the efforts of the security forces.
“Today, the rhetoric coming out
of religious organisations are divisive, incendiary and provocative. They are
not healthy for peaceful co-existence and should be stopped forthwith.
“Thank God that those who sought
to give the clashes between farmers and herders in Benue and Taraba, among
others, a religious coloration have failed. The clashes are neither religious
nor ethnic.”
Responding, the parish priest,
who said he is partly Muslim and partly Christian by parentage, appreciated the
minister for the visit.
He commended the Buhari
administration for reconstructing the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road which he said was
hitherto a death trap.
“We thank the administration for
that and we hope and pray that they will do more for us it term of roads. I
must say to you that we need those roads to be able to connect to villages and
towns.
“I tell people that a performing
administration does not need to campaign. your programmes and achievements will
campaign for you.
“Is it the N-POWER? A lot of
people are benefitting from that, is it the roads? many are benefitting. We
will just continue to encourage you to continue to work for a better Nigeria.”
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