Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on leaders in the North-west region of Nigeria to unite and support the present administration’s efforts at addressing insecurity and other mounting challenges confronting the country.

Shettima, who made the call yesterday while paying Sallah homage to the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Saád Abubakar III in his palace stressed: “I am here to represent Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu who asked me to convey his Sallah greetings and well wishes to the Sultan.

“President Tinubu is aware of the challenges facing our people – the insecurity that has pervaded the North-west region – and he is taking far-reaching measures to address the situation.

“I urge our political leaders to unite in order to confront the common challenges of insecurity, poverty and underdevelopment in the region.”

While conveying the President’s felicitations, the Vice President, in a release issued by the Director of Information in his office, Mr Olusola Abiola, emphasised the importance of peace and unity, noting: “There can never be peace without development, there can never be development without peace.”

He added that the Tinubu administration, in acknowledgment of the role of the traditional institution, remains committed to giving it the necessary support to contribute to the nation’s progress.

Shettima reaffirmed the Tinubu government’s loyalty to traditional institutions in the country.

Sultan Pledges Support

On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto thanked the VP for the Sallah homage and prayed to God to grant him wisdom and strength to discharge tasks assigned to him as the nation’s number two citizen.

He commended the federal government for the bold steps taken so far to address challenges confronting the nation, noting: “We need to acknowledge some issues are so bad to some people but we must take decisions to enable us see the benefit later. It is better to take certain decisions now, no matter the hardship. The gains of the future are more important.”

The Sultan also commended the new government for the successes so far recorded: “It is barely a month since your swearing in and you have done a lot within one month.

“We need to conform with the normal standard of reaching out to everybody because communication is very important. We are here as your communicators because we discuss, we go and tell people that policy is important and changing policy is important for us to move forward. We must always take people along to know what we are doing and why we are doing it. And at the end of it, when things are better, they will say thank God.”

Sultan Abubakar III pledged the support of the Sultanate to the federal government’s policies and programmes, assuring: “We support you 100% all of the time and we give you our word on this. We will do whatever it takes to maintain peace and stability in our country Nigeria.”

Other dignitaries that joined the Vice President for the Sallah homage were Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State; Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State and his deputy, Idris Gobir; the Senator representing Sokoto North senatorial District, Aliyu Wamakko; the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia; the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Abubakar Kyari; and Speaker of Sokoto State House of Assembly, Tukur Bodinga, among others.

Speaking earlier at a brief reception for the Vice President at the Government House, Governor Aliyu expressed gratitude for the visit, describing the gesture by Shettima as a show of “deep love for Sokoto State and its people.”

He described the vice president as a man of patience, tolerance and courage, assuring him of the State’s support for the success of the Tinubu administration.
Shettima charged Governor Aliyu to provide purposeful leadership while admonishing him to maintain cordial relationships with leaders across the State.
Addressing journalists shortly after paying Sallah homage to the Sultan, Shettima assured that more measures would be taken to safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerians.

He also assured that the federal government would create more job opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming youths.

thisday