Senate President, David Mark, yesterday, said despite fears raised by doomsday prophets about the 2015 election, Nigeria will not disintegrate.
“We have a role to play in ensuring that Nigeria witnesses a peaceful general election. Despite the much vaunted fear, apprehension and anxiety that our nation may not survive the elections by some dooms- day prophets, I personally remain optimistic that we have the strength of character, the political will, the perseverance and maturity to rise above all the challenges that lie ahead. We are all leaders and I know that we will work towards peace and harmony. Our nation will not disintegrate after the elections,” he said, while welcoming his colleagues back from the Yuletide break.
The Senate president also urged Nigerians to stop the blame game and support the Armed Forces to defeat the Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. According to him, every Nigerian irrespective of tribe, religion or political divide must support security agencies in their task of defeating Boko Haram for the nation to progress.
He tasked both the Federal Government and the Armed Forces to intensify efforts to rescue the Chibok girls abducted from their school in Borno State on April 14, 2014.
“Government must do all it can to end this insurgency. This is a war that we must win and we will win. The tendency is to blame government for this sore state of affairs. Every Nigerian, irrespective of partisanship, must demonstrate patriotism to our country. We must support our Armed Forces and other security operatives to stop this evil. Insecurity plagues all of us and must be tackled holistically,” he said.
Mark noted that the northeast was under siege. He said members of the Armed Forces and other security agencies had paid great sacrifices to free the country from the activities of insurgents. He described the victims as heroes and heroines whose deaths must not be in vain.
“We pray that the souls of the deceased rest in peace. They are our heroes and heroines and their deaths must not be in vain. We must not dishonour their memory by politicising the security challenges in the North-East,” he further said.