Tambuwal begs FG, Boko Haram to resume dialogue

The speaker advised government not to shut her doors against dialogue with the terrorist group, adding that the House of Representatives was ready to support any effort aimed at bringing about peace in the country. Tambuwwal stated this in Kaduna at the National Conference on Practical Steps in Uniting the Nigerian Muslim Ummah and JNI Annual Pre-Ramadan Meeting.

He appealed to Nigerians to unite irrespective of their religious differences for the survival of the country.

He said: “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 their ways to dialogue and discuss how best to address their issues.

“Therefore, we including the insurgents, most of them that are probably identified are Nigerians First and foremost, we are not fighting war with another country; it is an internal war that we are facing. Therefore, dialogue is necessary.

“I have said this before in about two three years back 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. If they 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”, he said.

He also called on Islamic preachers to always watch their words during their Ramadan Tafsir preaching and avoid inciting statements.

Earlier, the President General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, urged Nigerian leaders at all levels to fear Allah and ensure justice and equity.

The Sultan asked Muslims to desist from acts that will tarnish the Muslim Ummah, urging those at positions of leadership to also discharge their responsibilities with the fear of God. He stressed that once the fear of God is in place among the leaders and the led, Nigeria as a country will be better for it.