Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria has the potential to be one of the greatest countries on earth, if its citizens learn to tolerate and live in peace with one another.
He said the country’s diversity should serve as a source of strength rather than division.
Shettima said this yesterday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, when he paid homage to the Gbong Gwom Jos and Chairman of the Plateau State Council of Chiefs and Emirs, Da Jacob Gyang-Buba, in his palace.
The Vice President said all Nigerians are one people tied to a common heritage, adding that what binds them together as a people supersedes whatever threatens to separate them.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, VP Shettima said: “We are all connected one way or the other. We must, therefore, continue to live together. What binds us together supersedes what separates us.”
The Vice President, who was in Plateau State to receive Governor Caleb Mutfwang into the All Progressives Congress (APC), noted that traditional rulers are a special group of respected leaders because they hold the society together.
“They are not just the custodians of our cultural heritage. They help in upholding the society by preaching peace among their subjects,” he noted.
Shettima applauded the cordial relationship between the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and the governor.
The Vice President noted that the realignment was a good omen for Plateau State.
“The APC National Chairman, who is an indigene of the state, made a very generous statement at the reception venue by pledging his full support to the governor.
“With their coming together, the state will enjoy more dividends of democracy. That is good for the people of the state,” he said.
Shettima expressed confidence in the political realignment, saying it would also boost the image of the state.
The Vice President added that the realignment would ensure the sustenance of peace and tranquility across the state and across the nation.
“The national chairman was the opponent of the governor at the last election, but today, they have agreed to work together.
“There can be no development without peace. Therefore, with their coming together, the state will enjoy more peace,” he stated.
Shettima thanked the government and people of the state for the show of hospitality to him and his entourage on their visit to the state.
Mutfwang applauded the cordial working relationship between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Shettima.
The governor noted that it would continue to abound for the benefit of the country.
Da Gyang-Buba called for more efforts to ensure tight security in order to address the challenges confronting the state and some parts of the country.
“On behalf of the traditional council here, I appreciate what our security agencies are doing to ensure we enjoy peace. But I want to appeal for more security and true reconciliation in all parts of the country.
“Nigerians must respect one another and live in peace. Islam and Christianity are not in support of acts of insurgency or trouble-making.
“We all believe in God Almighty who is the Supreme Being. Why should we foment trouble or kill one another?” the monarch queried.
The royal father thanked Shettima, Yilwatda, and Mutfwang for the realignment, saying it was a good development for both the state and the nation.
The Vice President’s entourage included Prof. Yilwatda; Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule; former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Idris Wase; members of the Plateau State Council of Chiefs and Emirs; and other prominent indigenes of the state.
The Nation
