Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak

By Onyebuchi Ezigbo

The Federal Government Thursday said it would take steps to abolish indigeneship clause in the country’s laws to put an end to the crisis and rancour associated with the dichotomy of non-indigenes and settlers scourge in the country.

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, spoke on the new policy thrust when he received in audience leaders of the National Peace Forum, led by Senator Sunday Fajinmi.

He said: “Federal government is proposing the abrogation of non-indigenes hip or dichotomy of non settlers as a means of putting an end to the issue in every part of the country. No meaningful achievement can be made without peace.”

He said the President has this week waded into the crisis in Plateau State by convening a peace meeting with leaders of the North-east zone to explore how to find a lasting solution to the problem.

According to him, insecurity situation in the country has become a national problem and all hands must be on deck to maintain peace and unity in the country.

“It does not speak well of us to make utterances emphasising what divides us.  It is in this vein that this government is so committed towards achieving peaceful co-existence,” he said.

The Adviser, who also met with several other groups Thursday, who were on peace and solidarity visit to the President, alleged that there were some people who wanted to see Nigeria disintegrate or degenerate into anarchy.

He expressed concern over the unguarded utterances of some leaders and urged Nigerians to ignore calls for disintegration of the nation.

Earlier, Fajinmi said the Forum had many prominent Nigerians as members, including Senator M.T. Mbu, Senator John  Damboye, former Senate President, Dr. Joseph Wayas, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama, Governor Rochas Okoroacha of Imo State and Justice Maman Nasiru.

He said the visit was to see how the group could partner the Federal Government in order to address the insecurity challenges in the country.

“If there is anything that we can do in the normal traditional peace-making ways, we can come in as non-governmental organisation to assist in appealing to our people and appease them to make sure that we can all live together as one people,” he said.

The Special Adviser said the group had initiated peace moves to the hot-bed of the violent crisis in Borno and Bauchi States and was hopeful that something meaningful would come out of it when eventually the country becomes peaceful.