Group asks Nigerians to embrace their differences and work together

The Centre for African Liberation And Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) has asked Nigerians to ignore their differences and work for a common good.

Atumeyi Michael, executive director of the centre, made this known at a press conference on Friday in Abuja.

He urged Nigerians to “embrace our differences and work for the common good which is the entrenchment of peace and stability in Nigeria”

The centre said Nigeria shall defeat its adversaries within the shortest possible time with the collective efforts of all and sundry.

Read the statement below:

We welcome you all to this press conference on the heels of the recent happenings in parts of the country that has pitched religious and ethnic groups against each other which indeed calls for great concern from well-meaning Nigerians. 

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights condemns situations where religious and ethnic tension is promoted by a section of the populace without having recourse to the implication of their actions and inactions on National Security. 

The killings and reprisals on religious and ethnic groups indeed portend danger for the continued existence of Nigeria, especially on the heels that the religious and ethnic champions behind the agitations are doing it for their selfish purpose which by and large is geared towards political gains. 

It is indeed a sad situation that can be made worse with unsubstantiated reports that are aimed towards pressuring members of religious and ethnic groups to see themselves as victims and take the laws into their hands. 

It is therefore instructive to state that Nigerians must realize that solving the security challenges in the country is not a function of attacking members of other ethnicity or religious groups as this would further heat an already tensed polity. 

We must also realize that ethnic and religious profiling also does us no good as a country, but rather, it comes with its attendant consequences that are capable of setting the country on fire. 

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights is using the occasion of this press conference to condemn in totality the ethnoreligious attacks on members of other ethnic groups in the country, as it wholly smacks of a despicable attempt to provoke retaliations the country. 

These organizations parading themselves as apostles of human rights are indeed ironically acting as proxies for terrorist networks across the world in their despicable quest to truncate our nascent democracy in Nigeria. 

Nigerians must consequently be wary of the activities of organizations parading themselves under various international and human rights nomenclatures as these organizations do not mean well for the country. Their overarching desire has remained to fester ethnoreligious conflicts in Nigeria that would lead to the disintegration of the country.   

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights states in unequivocal terms that Nigerians must not play into the trap of these organizations by entrenching the culture of promoting violence against members of other ethnic or religious groups as the solution lies in our unity of purpose and diversity. 

We must learn to call a spade a spade and condemn what is wrong and commend what is right as this is not the time for hasty generalization of one ethnicity as been responsible for increased crime and criminality across the country. It, therefore, remains a misplaced judgment for any Nigerian to assume that attacking members of other ethnic or religious groups is the solution to the security challenges in the country.  

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights is urging all Nigerians to embrace our differences and work for the common good which is the entrenchment of peace and stability in Nigeria. 

It remains our firm conviction that Nigeria shall defeat its adversaries within the shortest possible time with the collective efforts of all and sundry. We must remember and hold unto those things that unite us, rather than those things that divide us.