By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, on Sunday, urged members of the Dei-Dei building materials and adjoining markets’ communities to continue to maintain the peace following the unfortunate fracas that occurred last week.
The Minister who was represented by the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, appealed for sustenance of the prevailing peace in the affected areas, and prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased.
Stressing that an environment of peace and tranquility was very important for development, the Minister admonished the entire FCT residents to see themselves as a big united family and should work towards the attainment of a common objective of peace development.
He said: “It’s our prayer that God would not allow this to happen again. The peace that we are building on, let’s continue to sustain it because it is very important for us.
“Just as we have seen, we are one. We have one objective, so let us build on it.
Addressing relations of the deceased victims, Mr Olusade said “No matter what we give you, it cannot replace the lost lives. But we believe that the little token will, at least, show that the FCT loves you, feels your pains and shares with you in this period of sorrow. We pray to God that we will not see this type of situation again.
The Minister noted that Dei-Dei houses a major building materials market that attracts people from other states, decrying that shutting it down was in no one’s benefit but was imperative for restoration of peace.
According to him, reopening the market would be looked into considering the prevailing peace in the area. He charged residents to be mindful of those who wish to foment trouble in their midst and report them to security agencies.
The FCT thanked the Sarkin Jiwa, HRH Dr. (Alhaji) Idris Musa for his usually timely interventions, support and fatherly role.
HRH Dr. Idris Musa, while speaking earlier, commended all parties involved for giving peace a chance and agreeing to continue to live together in harmony. He however blamed the social media for the escalation of the crisis.
The royal father equally called for peace and asked them to avoid any action or discussions that would cause problem among the people.
Representatives of the affected groups of traders regretted the mayhem and loss of lives and property, and pledged to return to the old peaceful way they had related in the market before the sad incident.
They also thanked the FCT Minister for responding to the crisis in time to avert further losses.
Present at the peace mission were the Chairman AMAC, Abdullahi Candido, FCT Police Commissioner, Babaji Sunday, Secretary Area Council Service Secretariat Ibrahim Abubakar Dantsoho, Director, Department of Human Resources, Dr Bashir Muhammed and other senior official of the FCTA, Security agencies and community leaders of Dei-Dei.
