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| Atiku |
Senate
President David Mark, Northern states governors and former Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar, among others, mourned the students and urged the government to
reassess its security apparatchik.
Mark
commiserated with the government and people of Yobe State.
He also
condoled with the government and people of Niger State over the ill-fated boat
mishap in the Niger River near Malilli village in which no fewer than 42 souls
have been confirmed dead.
Mark in
a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Paul Mumeh, bemoaned the Yobe attack
and urged the perpetrators to hearken to the voice of reason and sheathe their
swords.
He
said: “Violence has never produced any positive result neither has it any
solution to problems or grievances. If you have any grievances, the only way
out is through dialogue. Resorting to killing others can only add to the
problem and not solution.
“There
are more than enough channels of communication and ways of redressing
misgivings. These killings, especially innocent citizens, are not part of our
culture. They are truly alien to us. All right thinking members of the society
must rise up to end this carnage ravaging our land.”
The
Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) urged security agencies to halt the
senseless killing of defenceless citizens and attacks on places of worship and
educational facilities by Boko Haram.
The
forum was disturbed about the wanton killings of several innocent people since
2009 when the sect began acts of violence in the Northern region.
Chairman
of the forum and Governor of Niger State Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu also
condemned the killing of 15 persons in Zangang community in Kaura Local
Government Area of Kaduna State.
Aliyu,
in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo,
said, “The forum is particularly alarmed that the shooting dead of 38 students
of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State following the same pattern as
the killing of 22 students and a teacher at Government Secondary School, Mamudo
in the same state last July.”
The
forum described the fresh attacks by the dreaded group as horrendous, callous
and devoid of any shred of humanity.
It
commiserated with the families of the victims and prayed God to grant eternal
rest to the deceased and quick recovery to the injured.
The
forum called on security agencies to do more to protect the lives and property
of citizens and also ensure that those behind the violence are brought to
justice.
The
forum reiterated its pledge to continue to work with other tiers of government
to bring an end to security challenges confronting the nation.
Atiku
described as senseless and tragic, the murder of dozens of students gunned down
in their sleep.
In a
statement issued by his media office yesterday, Atiku underlined his
disposition to the spate of instability in the country with a quote from the
late American civil rights hero, Martin Luther King Jr: “Those who love peace
must learn to organise as effectively as those who love war.”
Atiku
continued: “As a father, I am deeply saddened by these senseless murders. These
were young Nigerians studying agriculture with a goal of helping to feed our
nation.
“We
must urgently review our strategy for confronting these cowards. The murders at
the Gujba College of Agriculture are further proof we need to rethink how we
provide security for our nation.
“We
must organise ourselves better to provide dignity and security for Nigeria. To
defeat terror, we must use much more potent, unbeatable weapons: democracy,
education and opportunity.”
“Nigerians
have lost faith in their government because of this lack of vision in the
management of the nation’s political, economic and social affairs.”
The
former vice president enjoined leaders not to seek elective offices simply for
the sake of power if they lacked the vision to push economic growth, which in
turn, creates employment and greater prosperity for the citizenry.
According
to him, the economy is central to every aspect of national life and demands
vision-driven leadership to move forward.
“Our
economy has weakened in the past few years, with crippling unemployment,
especially among our youth. Nigeria has become unable to deliver the goods and
services to give our people a decent standard of living and dignity.”
Atiku
restated his commitment to working with willing Nigerians to make a difference
and expressed concern at the unchanging shambolic state of national
infrastructure and the deteriorating state of education in the country.
The nation
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