Agitations symptoms of rot in Nigerian system – Sultan

.Advocates dialogue to resolve all misunderstandings, problems

.Break up not solution to Nigeria’s problem- Gov. Wike

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, on Tuesday, said ongoing agitations in the country are symptoms of rot in the Nigerian system.

Abubakar disclosed this in Sokoto when Rivers State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike, paid him a Sallah homage.

The Sultan said: “In the past, a lot of things were done by some people with impunity and nothing was done.

”That is why you find lack of good governance now weighing us down now in the country.

”However, as it is now, no matter how bad your hand is, you cannot cut it and throw away”.
Abubakar stressed the need to use dialogue to resolve all the misunderstandings and problems in the country.

The royal father said Nigerians should sit together, brainstorm, look at what went wrong, retrace our steps and move forward.

The sultan also appealed to statesmen in the nation to intervene and assist in this direction.
According to the monarch, “we are not short of statesmen across the country and they should help in championing the dialogue”.

”We should not allow sentiments to rule our heads. Nigeria is a very big and lucky country and we have no any other nation we can call our own.

”We should love one another irrespective of any religious, ethnic or cultural differences,” Abubakar added.

He also extolled the developmental strides of Governor Wike, as well as his existing relationship with the Muslim community there.

Speaking earlier, Governor Wike reiterated the need for Nigeria to remain as one, indivisible and united nation, saying that the government and people of Rivers will not be part of agitation to break up the country.

Wike, who led a high-powered delegation of traditional rulers and leaders of thought from Rivers State on a Sallah visit to Sokoto, said every nation in the world has its peculiar challenges, as such the onus on the leaders of Nigeria is to find lasting solutions to the various challenges confronting the nation.

He said there are better ways to solve the agitations and problems facing Nigeria, rather than a pondering on a break up.

Wike said: “Rivers State and its people believe in the oneness and unity of Nigeria and that is our stand. In Sokoto, we have a father in the Sultan. In fact, he is a father to all Nigerians and he is a peace builder in this country and beyond.

“I have also been friends with Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal before his emergence as a Speaker of the House of Representatives and this will be sustained despite the fact that we belong to different political parties.

Tambuwal, who accompanied Wike to the royal father’s palace, had earlier said that the visit could not come at a better time than now and restated his belief in the unity of Nigeria.

The governor said the visit would help to strengthen the bond of unity between the two states.