10th May, 2014
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for unity among all Nigerians in the fight against insurgency in the country.
In a statement released in Abuja on Friday, Atiku said that all citizens must unite to stamp out the evil that bedevilled the country.
“At a moment like this, we can no longer afford anything but a united commitment to stamping out a great evil that threatens the very existence of the only place we call home.
“We must make it easy for the world to see Nigeria as a country that cares for all its citizens, regardless of their age, gender, religion, ethnic group or economic class.
“We must make it clear that under no circumstances should any person, group of persons, or organisation ever be permitted to prey on the children of Nigeria, or any other country.”
He said all Nigerians must be encouraged and see it as their responsibility to contact the authorities immediately they noticed a crime was about to be committed and give all support to our security agencies
“We must make it easy for the innocent population of the affected areas to see the Nigerian military and authorities as friends, not enemies.
“We must make it easy for our soldiers to be loyal and committed to this great and difficult task ahead of them.”
He welcomed government’s decision to accept assistance from our foreign friends to tackle the menace of Boko Haram and thanked those countries who offered to help.
He said nobody should be allowed to play politics with the crisis and Nigerians must be seen to stand united in this fight
“We must make it difficult for anyone to play politics with this crisis. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worth the bloodshed and the destruction we have come to associate with this campaign of terror. Not party affiliations, not the 2015 elections,” he said.