Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Concerned about last weekend’s terror attack in Russia, a former Presidential Candidate and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has called for stronger peace among the countries of the world.
This was contained in a letter written by Olawepo-Hashim to convey his sympathy to President Vladimir Putin, the people of Russia, and the wounded and the families of those killed in the terrorist attack of the Music Hall in Moscow on Friday March 22, 2024.
In the letter dated Monday, March 25, 2024 and sent through the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Abuja, the APC chieftain maintained that the attack remained an assault on culture and civilization and must be condemned by all peace-loving people all over the world.
He said: “The attack further underscores the ubiquitous nature of terror which no nation is immune to as long as there exists ample number of fertile minds for evil, sometimes not always possible to completely track.
“Sad occurrences such as the 9/11 in the US, London Tube bombing, and many variants of terrorist actions such as this in powerful nations highlight the necessity of increased international cooperation and solidarity against terrorism and the need to strengthen peace globally across political divides.”
According to him, Nigeria feels the pains of terrorism daily and people must stand with Russia, a ‘friendly nation’ that has demonstrated generous friendship and support to Nigeria in times of war and peace in the past.
“Not only did Russia support efforts to keep Nigeria one during the nation’s civil war, Russia extended economic support for the building of important economic infrastructure and provided scholarships and technical training for the nation’s key professionals.
“Russia was a key ally of our founding fathers in the struggle for independence from colonial rule,” he added.
Olawepo-Hashim emphasised that the bond of friendship between Nigeria and the Russian people has been traditionally reciprocal as demonstrated during the incident of the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy when Nigeria announced substantial financial donation in solidarity with Russia.
“Let me add my voice as a friend of Russia at a time like this to comfort those who were wounded in last Friday’s attack and to stand in solidarity with Russia”, he further stated.
