Jos — A delegation of the Nigerian First Lady, Hajiya Turai Yar'Adua, yesterday visited Jos, Plateau State capital to distribute relief materials to victims of the November 28 riot, in which many lives and property were lost, and many people displaced.
The delegation, however, either deliberately or otherwise refused to visit the governor of the State, David Jonah Jang. A delegation of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua led by the former minister of Labour had also shunned Jang during an earlier visit .
The governor had sent some state executive members, including the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Sarah Yusuf and her counterpart in the Ministry of Health, Dr Angela Miri, to receive the delegation at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, from where they moved straight to see the victims in their various camps and returned to Abuja without paying a courtesy visit on the governor.
Describing the crisis as poverty-instigated, the first lady who was represented by the wife of National Security Adviser to the President, Hajiya Benta Mutara, in the company of Federal Refugees Commissioner, Hadiza Kangiwa, berated government for not empowering the youths.
She therefore, urged government at all levels to empower the youth, so as to get them engaged and busy, saying that is the only way to make them shun negative vices.
Regreting the wanton killing of innocent citizens, Turai said Islam does not permit the killing of even animal for the fun of it, talk less of human being. She therefore advised the two major religious leaders to preach peace to their followers, stressing that no meaningful development can be achieved in an atmosphere of violence.
She also called on the aggrieved parties to shun ethnicity and embrace peace, even as she thanked the various security chiefs for promptly deploying their personnel to check the escalation of the crisis.
Also, the president of the Women Society of Nigeria, Hajia Ramatu Usman, who was also a part of the delegation said the crisis is setting the nation back to its old days when religious crisis was the order of the day, urging citizens to learn to live together in harmony.
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It may seem good to some people. I wonder, recently the Governor of Kano did destroyed some places of worships, delicates of our goverment did not shun him they only pray for him. This is in view of the fact that as Islam is being propogated it was a christian king who save the disiples and the religion grew to be what it is today. So what iam trying to say if we are at the door of powers any citizen in which by virtue of votes he or him put you on stage; even if he is insane you need to embrace him get close to him or her to reason as human 'cause we are not all perfect even with things we design for perfection. We all need ourselves and what all religion teach is the art of tolerance and love of our individualism and learn to leave together.