YOLA — Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa state on Thursday says lack of cohesion and integration are major threats to peace and security which undermine the capacity for sustainable development.
He stated this while declaring a summit tagged “Citizens Summit on Integration, Peace and Security held at Admiral Nyako Conference hall, state secretariat Yola organized by the Adamawa state chapter of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
Fintiri stated that his administration since it came on board two years and few months has sustained cohesion among government and all the ethnic groups in the state and appreciated the security agencies for sustaining peace in the state.
“Today, Adamawa state has moved away from the era of sectionalism and lack of cohesion to a new dawn where the ideals of good governance with emphasis on human rights and justice are beginning to take steps in the society.
“We are firm in our conviction that security and cohesion among the people of Adamawa state under my watch is fundamental to achieving the requisite stability that will enable the realization of the sustainable security problem agenda.
He noted that poverty, illiteracy, insecurity and lack of cohesion have continued to attract political leadership attention, added that the government will not spare any effort in addressing the menace.
“Therefore we are confronting it with every resource at our disposal with due regard for fundamental human rights and the rule of law.
“Our government stands ready to continue to engage the best practice in tackling insecurity and marginalization which is responsible for most cases of communal conflicts and formulate an agenda that will guarantee peace, security and stability.
“My administration commitment to sustainable peace and security propels the state action to support all security agencies whenever stability is threatened in Adamawa
“In recent years Adamawa state had its share of conflicts, notably in Numan, Lamurde, Guyuk and Song local governments, my administration with the support of security agencies has demonstrated the capacity to work and pursue long term solutions in the affected local government areas,” he said.
Fintiri said Adamawa state government will continue to support and partner with NIPR and other media agencies towards sustaining peace and stability in the state.
“Adamawa state government will continue to support the efforts of organizations like NIPR in addressing the initiative of combating the menace of insecurity and lack of cohesion; we have redoubled our effort to address these demanding challenges within our state,” the Governor said.
Earlier, State Chairman Organizing Committee of the summit, Prof. Abubakar Abba Tahir observed with concern the challenges of banditry, kidnapping, secessionist agitations among others in the country.
“I am not sure that banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, agitations to break away from the country, etc. are never solutions to our many challenges, but unnecessary escalations,” he said.
In his remark, the Chairman of the occasion who is also the Managing Director Gotel Communications Yola, Alhaji Muhammad El-Yakub noted that the summit will touch the lives of people of Adamawa state in many ways, adding NIPR is a window of breaching information gap between the government and the govern.
In his speech, the state chairman of NIPR, Dr Usman Ahmed Dadah said the summit is in response to the directive by the National Secretariat of the NIPR that each state should hold chapter summit before Zonal and National levels.
“The summit aims at fostering cohesion, promoting understanding, building or amending relationships among citizens of the state in line with the core essence of the Public Relations practice,” he said.
In his presentation, the guest speaker who is an ace broadcaster, Chief Timawus Mathias noted that many Nigeria leaders make unguarded utterances that trigger conflict, maintain that Nigerians should ensure proper use of language by constantly strategizing and being conscious before making sensitive statements capable of disrupting the peace and security of the country.
“For any peaceful democracy to thrive there must be peace and security. The government should ensure they carry everybody along so that no one will feel left out, ensure proper education of the citizens and encourage dialogue,” he said.
Participants at the one day summit include traditional rulers, politicians, Civil Society Organizations; Faith based organizations, Media, and Non-governmental organizations among others.
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