The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, on Thursday advised political leaders to refrain from making unguarded comments capable of destabilising the polity.
The minister, who gave the advice at a Christmas carnival at his village, Wakama, near Akwanga, Nasarawa State, advised the politicians to pursue peace and development of the country.
He said that comments credited to some notable Nigerians about the 2015 elections were unnecessary and against the interest of the masses.
Maku, who decried the negative campaigns against the present administration, said that the collective interest of Nigerians should supercede the ambition of any individual.
“ I want to seize this opportunity again to remind politicians to mind their language because the actions of their followers are always dependent on what they say in public; our leaders should mind the way we carry out these campaigns; we should mind the way we relate with ourselves.
“We should not make comments that will incite the people because nobody’s personal ambition is worth the division of this country, I believe in the unity of this country and Nigeria will remain united and strong.”
Maku urged the people of the North to embrace peace and exercise patience with the present administration as more projects were being planned for the development of the region.
He said that the North would not recover from the setback brought about by the insurgency unless its leaders embraced peace and took the path of progress.
According to the minister, the time has come “for we in the North to embrace peace and support this government that has done so much for the region.
“We must be our brother’s keepers, we must not allow what is going on to continue because while others are moving on, we are held back by the violence in the region.
“We cannot make peace return to our region if we don’t work together.”
Maku said Nigeria was in dire need of peace and could not afford to allow negative politics and selfish interest to retard its progress.
The minister urged the North to emulate the example of his community in Wakama, saying that there was mutual respect among members of the community irrespective of their affiliations.
The paramount ruler of the community, youth groups and politicians attended the event.
