By Israel Joel
Plateau state Governor Simon Lalong, on Monday, advised political, religious, and traditional leaders against reckless utterances that seek to incite and provoke people to violence and intolerance.
Lalong made this known while speaking at the swearing-in of newly elected Local government chairmen in Jos.
He called on citizens to shun hate speech, fake news, and exploitation of available conflict fault lines such as ethnicity and religion to heat up the polity.
In his words ” I want to express my displeasure on the conduct of some conventional and social media users and proprietors who threw caution to the wind during the election process.”
“They allowed politicians and their foot soldiers their platforms to freely propagate and disseminate content that sought to incite people against one another and also pitch them against Government, this is most unfortunate and highly regrettable”, he added.
The Governor also said that “Let such persons beware of the dangers they are exposing the State and its people to, and also realize that there are consequences for every action. We should always exercise caution and adhere to the rules of the game. When we destroy the State, there will not be any opportunity for contest or politics. ”
He called on citizens to put behind all differences and work together in building a better Plateau that will yield its prosperity and endowments to this generation and the generation to come.
Nigeria’s Moribund Refineries
“Election is neither war nor an avenue for division and disharmony. Those who do not succeed today can emerge victorious tomorrow.”
He urged individuals and groups not to exert unnecessary pressure or demands on them that could affect their focus and divert their attention from delivering the dividends of democracy to the generality of the citizens.
He said, “I wish to appreciate the security agencies, the media, political parties, the electorate and indeed all citizens for their continued support and cooperation to the Rescue Administration particularly in the conduct of this successful election, this gives me a lot of hope for the future of our dear State.”
“We have every reason to thank God for the successful transition from one Local Government tenure to another, after the successful elections that took place on the 9th of October 2021. “
