The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale and the Mai of Tula in Gombe State, Dr. Abubakar Buba, Atare II, have called on Nigerians to live as brothers for the war against insecurity to be won.
The monarchs expressed concern that security challenge could not be won with frosty tribal sentiment but only with cooperation among various ethnic groups.
The call was made, yesterday, at the Oluwo’s Palace, Iwo, Osun State, when Oba Adewale received the Secretary to the Gombe Council of Traditional Rulers, Mai of Tula, Buba.
A statement issued after the visit, read: “The fragility of the current security challenge calls for caution among Nigerians. Such challenge cannot be won on ethnic ground but rather through cooperation and understanding by seeing one other as a Nigerian. The cooperation will help to flush out black sheep in different ethnic groups and not an outright condemnation of a tribe.
“Kidnapping and banditry are not fought and won on tribal lines. Without cooperation, security issue may not be addressed. Our problems are created collectively, solving it separately, is a fallacy.
“We urge the government to provide programmes that could foster peace, ensure harmonious coexistence and promote ethnic strength in our diversity.”
“Unarguably, the good ones among the Fulani are still needed to identify culprits or strangers committing crimes among them.
“The government must equally empower traditional institution to be constitutionally recognised. We are closer to the grassroots but there is little to what could achieve without constitutional empowerment. The government must look into this, as a matter of urgency.”