By Segun Adewale, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Muslim Parliament has declared total support for Senate Committee’s Chairman of the Senate Committee on Security and National Intelligence, Senator Shehu Buba Umar’s efforts towards ensuring dialogue as panacea to attaining peace, especially in Northern Nigeria.
The Chairman of the Parliament, Engr. Ahmad Yusuf who led other members of the group to address a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat Bauchi on Saturday, described the efforts of the senator who is representing Bauchi south, towards peaceful conflict resolution and national security as commendable.
Engr. Ahmad Yusuf emphasized the organization’s core vision of promoting Islamic goals, unity, and peaceful coexistence, stressing that Senator Umar’s leadership aligns with the stated objectives.
The Muslim Parliament said senator Buba has initiated frameworks for peaceful coexistence between farming communities and pastoralists, leveraging on dialogue to address conflicts.
According to the Chairman of the Bauchi State Muslim Parliament, the senator has worked with government security structures to combat banditry and associated threats through strategic communication, adding that Senator Buba’s approach mirrors successes seen in the Niger Delta, blending dialogue with economic empowerment.
While highlighting some of the senator’s past achievements, Engineer Ahmad Yusuf said he as SSA Nomadic during Governor Isa Yuguda’s administration and Executive Chairman of Toro LGA (2019), Senator Umar demonstrated commitment to peace.
He condemned smear campaigns against the senator, who he observed is working tirelessly to restore peace in some hostile states of the North.
“The Bauchi State Muslim Parliament strongly condemned vicious smear campaigns and image-tarnishing against Senator Umar, viewing these as character assassination and, as attempts aimed at undermining his contributions to national security and development”, the Muslim Parliament said.
The organization urged stakeholders to join hands in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges, urging the government to address grievances of conflict victims and provide succor.
The Muslim Parliament which also appealed to the citizens of Nigeria to support peace and avoid divisive actions, cautioned politicians against playing politics with national security.
Also speaking, Dr. Hamza Abubakar, member of the Parliament said since the emergence of Boko Haram almost two decades ago, arms struggle has been there without coming to end of the problem.
He therefore, urged Nigerians to be appreciative that the efforts of the dialogue has yielded positive results.
“We can see that in Kaduna, through dialogue, an agreement was reached, and they are living peacefully now, unlike what happened in the past five years”, Dr. Abubakar said.
According to him, “if this is the result why can’t we allow the initiator of this dialogue to continue and apply same methodology in other parts of the country for peaceful coexistence”.
“We all remember what happened in the Niger Delta in the past, it was through dialogue that the Niger Delta restiveness was resolved, and they are now living peacefully. Why not apply same to the northern part of the country”.
