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The Emir of Dutse,
Nuhu Mohammed Sanusi, has said it is time for the nation’s political
class to shun ethnic bigotry and embrace tolerance, dialogue, and
peaceful co-existence in the search for an enduring democracy in the
country.

Speaking when he
received President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP presidential campaign
team in his palace in Dutse, Jigawa State, yesterday, Mr. Sanusi
decried the resort to hate and ethnic bigotry, hostile confrontations,
and character assassination among the political class, noting that
these could hamper the nation’s pursuit of an egalitarian democracy.

“Recent events in
the country call for serious concern in our pursuit for an egalitarian
democracy. Hostile confrontations as against tolerance and dialogue;
character assassination and blackmail as against reasoning and
consensus; hate and ethnic bigotry have beclouded our values of
affection and fairness.

“Our nation has
suffered enough bloodletting; it makes no sense to take up arms against
each other in the pursuit of selfish interest; it makes all the sense
in the world to lift up arms and embrace anything that nourishes
enduring peace. Allah is the owner of sovereignty. He gives sovereignty
to whom He wills, and takes sovereignty away from whom He wills,” the
royal father stated.

He hailed Mr.
Jonathan for his “deliberate policy efforts” to bridge the educational
gap between the north and the south, as well as reducing the social gap
between Islamic and conventional education through the establishment of
more federal universities and Almajiri model schools, particularly in
northern Nigeria, with Jigawa State among early beneficiaries.

The traditional
ruler also commended the commitment of the president to the conduct of
free and fair polls in the country, come April, while praying for the
present administration to succeed in this direction, in spite of “the
antagonism of all who profit by the preservation of the old order.”

While emphasising
peaceful co-existence among the citizenry, the Emir noted: “It is high
time for our political elites to realise that the only way to achieve
practical and enduring peace in the Plateau and other hot spots in our
country is to take the profit out of ethno-political conflicts.”

Earlier, Mr.
Jonathan had promised that his administration, if given a fresh
four-year mandate, will fight poverty aggressively, describing it as a
common national plague that “does not speak different languages.”

He said his
government will pursue the unity of the country at all times. The
president expressed government’s concern for the danger of desert
encroachment in parts of the north and assured that modern technology
initiatives will be employed to curtail the trend.

While restating
government’s resolve to generate wealth for the nation’s teeming
youthful population, Mr. Jonathan said modern irrigation methods will
be introduced, especially in northern Nigeria, to stimulate the
agricultural sector, and achieve a diversified economy in the process.

“Goodluck Jonathan
and Namadi Sambo mean well for this country. We believe in the unity of
this country and we will work with the best brains to turn around this
country for good,” the president said.