The Senator that represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, Senator Shehu Sani, has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the issues raised by some Nigerians that his government is dominated by northerners and Muslims.
Sani who is also the executive director of African Centre for Peace and Development confronted President Buhari while receiving the members of Bishara Baptist Church led by Rev. Joel Yohana in his residence in Kaduna, where they presented a book titled: ’77 Years Silent Exploit in Northern Nigeria; The untold story of Bishara Baptist Church from 1948-2019′ to the lawmaker.
He also challenged President Buhari to address issues raised by northerners that his government is only interested in executing projects in southern Nigeria.
He called on northern leaders to as a matter of urgency convene a conference to unite people of all religions and be sincere to themselves on their discussion on the way forward for the northern region as well as on the need to go back to Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto’s philosophy of peace and unity.
Senator Sani who was worried by the divisive character of the country said, “It’s over 100 years of Almagamation in Nigeria and we are still talking about North and South, Muslims and Christians. If there is good governance, nobody will care wherever you come from.
“It is also unfortunate that the late Sardauna of Sokoto and the founding fathers of Nigeria laid a solid foundation for unity and peace but subsequent leaders don’t see themselves representing the nation, but see themselves as representing their ethnic groups.
“The Baptist Church in Hadeja road, Kaduna is an example of unity and peace. It is a Church that is right in the middle of a Muslim community and they are living in peace with everybody. That is worthy of commendation.”
While arguing that no amount of investment brought by any government could yield positive results, as long as people are not living in peace, senator Sani, however, said the North must unite to address three challenges.
“The first one is to confront terrorism and extremism, as it is a serious threat to peace and progress of the region and country.
“The second is to confront illiteracy and ignorance. Illiteracy and ignorance have seriously caused a lot of havoc to our unity, peace and future of the region.
“We live in a country today where some people are supporting injustice because the people perpetrating it are from their tribes or ethnic groups,” he explained.