Gowon urges Nigerians to live in peace

Former Head of State, retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has called on Nigerians to continue to live in peace, irrespective of their religious beliefs.

He made the call at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Barewa Old Boys Association on Saturday, in Katsina.

Gowon, who is the Chairman Board of Trustees of the association, said Nigerians should continue to embrace peaceful coexistence for the development of the country.

“Muslims and Christians should use dialogue to find out what divides them and should unite themselves in the interest of peace.

“We need peace to move forward as a nation. People in position of authority should provide quality education for the pupils in public schools,” he said.

Gowon said that the provision of quality education to pupils would address problems of societal miscreants and hoodlums that pose a threat to the nation.

In a paper presentation titled: “Reviving the National Pledge on Education for All”, Prof. Jibirn Ibrahim called on leaders in the country to do more in developing the education sector.

Ibrahim, who is also a member of the association, said state governors should allocate more funds to public schools for functional and conducive learning.

“Governors should set aside at least 35 percent of their total annual budget to promote the development of education in their states.

“The children of the poor should be supported to get quality education because if neglected, they can become time bombs to the nation.

“Efforts should be made to give all Nigerians the best of education so as to avoid pumping money into solving security challenges,” he said.