MINISTER of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, has tasked religious leaders in the country to use their God-given positions to curb social vices bedevilling the youths.
Aliyu gave the charge when a delegation of the Arewa Pastors Non-Denominational Initiative for Peace led by its National Chairman, Bishop John Abu Richard, paid her a courtesy call in Abuja.
The minister also used the occasion to charge clergymen in the country to pray against insurgency and other vices, stressing that the peace and stability of Nigeria is not negotiable.
According to her, “It is easy for anybody or group to blame government for the insecurity challenges facing us as a nation, but I must tell you that as religious leaders, you have a greater role to play to curb the social vices among our youths that could lead to a full-blown terrorism.
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“I say this with all sense of responsibility because the perpetrators of this heinous crime are members of one religious group or the other. In fact, they are either Christians or Muslims. Therefore, if you use your God-given position to propagate the teachings of the holy books, it will go a long way in curbing the social vices among our youths. By so doing, we have solved 50 per cent of our security challenges”.
According to a statement issued by her Special Assistant Media, Austin Elemue, the minister said that recent cases of young marriages failing and killings among young couples could be traced to lack of good parenting and moral upbringing in the society.
Earlier, Bishop Richard commended the FCT Minister of State for what he described as “impactful transformation” embarked upon by her in less than a year of her appointment as minister.
Richard told the minister that the group came from various parts of the country to identity with her remarkable successes in the Federal Capital Territory, just as he assured the minister of the group’s continuous prayers for more successes, peace and development in the nation’s capital under her leadership.
He commended the minister for her motherly heart in carrying both Muslims and Christians along in the appointment of her political aides.
