By Ola Airenakho
Benin City – As Edo people prepare for the poll to elect a new governor, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged all gubernatorial candidates to carry out their campaigns in peace and harmony.
The Royal father and spiritual leader made the appeal while speaking during a visit to Governor Adams Oshiomhole in Benin City last Friday. The Sultan who is also President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs led members of the Supreme Council, including the Otaru of Auchi, Alhaji Aliru Momoh, Ikelebe III on the visit.
According to him, the changes he saw in the state can only come from someone committed to changing the lives of people. He also stressed the need for the candidates to ensure issue-related campaigns “because everything is on the ground. So, whatever anybody is going to be is on the ground. You will see it. You will see achievements; come and match such achievements; then convince people. Don’t confuse people. Convince them to vote for you. So, I wish you the best of campaigns.
“I wish you all the best during elections, and I wish Edo State a more peaceful and stress-free election, and pray to God to elect a good leader who will continue to work for this State, who will love this State more than he will love himself or more than how the Comrade Governor loved this State when he assumed office.”
He expressed delighted over the comments made by the Governor a few days ago, about the minimum wage and payment of salaries. The Sultan noted that non-payment of salaries has been one of the things responsible for so many criminal activities. “Workers are not paid, and they have families; they can’t go to the market to buy anything because there is no money, and there is hunger. And as we know, a hungry man is an angry man. So, we know all the problems in the country. So as leaders, let’s put our heads together and see how we can resolve them.”
Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III commended Governor Adams Oshiomhole for what he described as his visible infrastructural development in the State. “We have seen tremendous changes from the Edo we used to know or the Benin City we used to know when we were young officers of the Nigerian Army, especially the famous Lagos road.
“We have seen some changes and we believe such changes can only come from people who are committed to making the lives of people God almighty put their trust on as leaders. We, therefore, want to commend the Governor and urge you to continue helping the State in particular and the larger society in this country after you leave office in the next few months.”
“We are very proud of your activities here and your achievements in the last eight years. We call on whoever God chooses to replace you to continue to build on the legacies you are leaving behind. “Whoever that person is, only God knows. There are so many contenders but only one will occupy this seat, and there is nothing anybody can do about it. God knows who is going to be here. We don’t know.”
Responding, Governor Oshiomhole who described the Sultan of Sokoto as a bridge-builder said, “Your Eminence, I cannot explain how humble we feel to be able to play host to your Eminence and all the highly respected religious leaders, traditional rulers and Islamic scholars from across the country on the auspices of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs.
“On behalf of the government and people of Edo State, I would like to welcome you most warmly to our great city, to our great State which everybody accepts is the heartbeat of the Nigeria nation “You have honored us in so many ways, not just by the number of visits you have paid to our great state, but on each occasion, we have been privileged to listen to you and to learn so many things from your statements and advice on a variety of issues beyond religion, but issues that also have to do with nation building.”
Oshiomhole said government must maintain a formalized relationship with religious leaders, not only during crisis, but as a matter of policy and principle, “because part of the problems we face today, they could be explained away in terms of challenges that confront us as a people, economic crisis, unemployment, et cetera.”
“But as development literature will show, even rich nation which are rich in dollars and in pounds, in euro or in yen, if there is no fear of God and a conscious attempt to run society in a way that reflects the will of our creator, we won’t witness peace. The truth is every God-fearing person will not resort to violence particularly if he is conscious of the fact that any particular act of violence will lead to the death of another.”
On the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in the state, Oshiomhole said: “when I watch debates in the US, it’s all about issues. You might be unhappy with the choice of issues, but it’s about issues. It’s not about who comes from where; it’s not about his religion; it’s not even about his gender. It’s not even about the fact that your husband was a president, now why should the wife become the next president?”
While remarking that American campaign was about what the aspirants can do, individual characters and pedigree, he pledged acceptance of Sultan’s advice for issue-based and peaceful campaigns. “We must consciously avoid violence, and we must consciously reaffirm that we are in this contestation because of the people, not because of ourselves, not only by lips but also by heart.” He disclosed government’s plans to recruit teachers to teach Islamic Studies in public schools in the state from the primary school level.
