APGA enjoins Boko Haram to shun violence, embrace peace

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has appealed to Boko Haram insurgents to shun violence and embrace peaceful co-existence.The party’s National Secretary, Mr. Labaran Maku, made the appeal yesterday in Wakama, Nasarawa State.He also urged other troublemakers to drop the gun to fast track the socio-economic development of the country.

According to him, the activities of the insurgents and other security challenges had affected many lives and the country’s socio-economic development. He said: “As a former Minister of Information and the Supervising Minister of Defence, I know how much government had spent in ending the activities of Boko Haram and other security challenges in the country.

“President Muhammadu Buhari recently made a submission for $I billion to be committed to the war against insurgents in the northeast and other parts of the country. If we convert that to naira, at the existing exchange rate, it would be about N360 billion.

With N360 billion, one could imagine the number of schools, boreholes, factories, youths, women and farmers empowerment that the government would have provided to the various communities across the country.He explained that Nigeria had lost so much to insurgency, which has taken a toll on the building of basic infrastructure.

The national secretary urged Nigerians to pray for peace and cooperate with the government, security agencies, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to promote peace and unity.Maku, who contested the governorship election in Nasarawa on APGA’s platform in 2015, called for humility and generosity among the people for a better tomorrow and greater country.

He urged the people to shun violence in the interest of peace and national development, adding that some of the previous violent actions had religious and political undertones.

According to him: “When never you see the masses killing each other, there is conspiracy at the top. There is the need for people of Nasarawa State and Nigeria at large to shun the divide-and-rule principle and unite to elect credible leaders for good governance.