Boko Haram: Govt must not shut door against dialogue, says Tambuwal

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday declared that government cannot afford to shut the door of dialogue against terrorists in the country if it genuinely craves peace. “I have said this before and I am still maintaining my ground: we need to dialogue and discuss and ensure that we bring back those that can be brought back,” Tambuwal said during a pre-Ramadan lecture of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in Kaduna. He added: “we must not shut our doors. One of the most long standing disputes in the world today is the Israeli-Arab conflict or Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They still find   ways to dialogue and discuss how best to address their issues. “If they (terrorists) have any issue that can be addressed by the government, those issues should be looked into with the possibility of being attended to. And for those of them that feel all they need is to take up arms against the rest of us, we all face them squarely. Tambuwal appealed to Boko Haram members to bear in mind the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, sheath their sword and embrace peace, as Muslims all over the world prepare for the holy month of Ramadan. He pledged the support of the House of Representatives for efforts to ensure continued peace in the country. The Sultan, of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who also spoke at the event said the absence of fair play and equity in running the affairs of the country has always been responsible for threats to security. The Sultan who is the President of the JNI, linked the high level of corruption and other vices in the country to lack of fear of God. Sultan Abubakar said Nigeria’s leaders at all levels must learn to fear God and ensure justice and equity in their dealings, saying: “whatever happens to us is destined by God for us and cannot be changed but to accept it.” He called for fairness and equity in “whatever you do, work because of God and fear him in all that you do.” While asking Muslims in the country to desist from acts that will tarnish the image of the Muslim Ummah, the Sultan called on those occupying positions of leadership to discharge their responsibilities with the fear of God.