The Senate President, David Mark, has pledged to remain a pan- Nigerian in spite of all the challenges.
Mark also pledged to dedicate the rest of his life to the service of God and humanity.
He made the pledge at a church service to mark his 66th birthday at the St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, Abuja, on Tuesday.
The senate president said he was not celebrating the birthday with any fanfare because of the current insecurity in the country, adding that such a mood was unhealthy for any celebration.
“I will remain a pan-Nigerian and work for a nation where peace, love, development and unity reign as a binding principle.
“For me, any celebration, the only gift you can give to me is to pray to God for all these violence and insurgency to pass away as quickly as possible,’’ Mark said.
He decried the unabating insecurity in the country which had claimed thousands of lives and appealed to every Nigerian to cooperate to end the needless killings of innocent people.
“There are many channels to address any grievance. Violence is not one of the ways. It is inhuman to take another man’s life just because you are unhappy with a situation.
“Let us reason together as one people and end these needless wars.’’ he said.
He further cautioned against accepting the temptation of attributing the growing insurgency to religious war, adding that no religion preaches violence.
The senate president reminded Nigerians of the joy of living together as one people under one nation, adding that there was more to gain by being together than constantly being at war.
He also appealed to the clergy not to rest on their oars in praying for the peace, security and unity of Nigeria.
Earlier, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma- Egba, extolled the virtues of Mark and said that the Senate under his leadership had remained united and devoid of the proverbial banana peels.
In his sermon, Rev. Fr. Innocent Jooji, said that the best gift to anybody on their birthday was prayer.
Jooji encouraged Nigerians not to relent in their prayers, adding that God had answers to all the country’s challenges.
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