From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed confidence that the nation will overcome the prevailing situation of insecurity in parts of the country. According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, he gave the assurance during a visit on Friday to the State House, Abuja by the Grand Khalifa (overall head) of the Tijjaniyya Islamic Movement World-Wide.
President Buhari said the present administration is well aware of its responsibility with regards to security and will continue to do its best. He urged Nigerians to be fair to his government in assessing the security issue in the country by reflecting on what obtained at the time he took over in 2015. He noted that he successes as well as his performance mark a decisive break from the past, particularly in the Northeast and the South-South, adding that the Northwest which had given the nation some “headache” will experience a turnaround for the better.
The President urged citizens of the country to take responsibility and show interest in the affairs of their own security and to complement what the government is doing, adding that, “we have done our best and will continue to do more by pursuing coherent and consistent policies to deal with terrorism. I hope God will listen to our prayers.”
Turning to Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Governor of Kano State who brought the Grand Khalifa to Nigeria, President Buhari thanked him for inviting them to come to pray for peace and stability of the country. “We are grateful that they agreed to come,” he said. He joined them in praying that God will give guidance and strength to leaders to be accountable and do right in all things that they do.
Governor Ganduje, in introducing the Khalifa and his delegation, which included the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero and Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, the leader of the Tijjaniyya Islamic Movement in Nigeria, said the government of Kano State invited the Tijjaniyya World Leader to the country to lead the faithful in prayer considering the complexities around security in particular. He said the visit of the Grand Khalifa had also rekindled the old ties between the Tijjaniya and the many cultural and educational institutions in Nigeria.
The Tijjaniyya leader in the country, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi and the Grand Khalifa, Tidjani Ali Bin Arabi extolled the existing cordial relations between Nigeria and Algeria and prayed for guidance and blessings for the country and its leaders.