Don't Sacrifice Yourselves for Ambitions of any Politicians, Senior Advocate Cautions Party Supporters

A constitutional Lawyer, Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN, has cautioned political party supporters and loyalists, not to sacrifice themselves for the political ambitions of any politicians in the country, come 2019.

This, he said, would go a long way in enhancing the peace and development of the country.

Mallam Ali stated this in Ilorin, Kwara State capital on Thursday, while delivering a public lecture entitled, "Opportunities and Challenges for Peace Scholars in a ConflictRidden Environment", at the first occasional public lecture of Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies (CPSS), University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

According to him, "the success of the next year’s general elections, is the work of all of us, both the leaders and the led".

He said that, "We must decide on what kind of Nigeria we want to have, because peace is a two way thing, those who are used to breach of the peace by the political elites, they just need to be educated.

"The question I ask people every time people are involved in things that breach the peace during any elections, “the children of politicians for whom we are doing these things, where are their own children? where are their brothers? where are their own uncles?

"I think as a people, we should appeal to members of our families in our different villages, that those who allow their heads to crack coconut, they wouldn't be part of the people that will feast on the coconut.

"So, I think as we approach another general elections, we should appeal to ourselves, the people for whom these people are fighting for, some of them have dual citizenship, if anything happens, they don't even need visa to get out of Nigeria.

"I want to say that some of them have already made complete arrangements to leave the shores of Nigeria within 15 minutes, if anything goes wrong. So, for those who have been used, they don't have any other place to go, some of them don't even have money to go their villages from wherever they are.

"So, let us appeal to ourselves, that without peace, there can be no progress, without progress there can never be development, without development, there cannot be proper living".

Mallam Ali who advised the people of the country to be peace advocates, promoters and purveyors, said that, "the break down of peace, respects no one".

He noted that, "peace is the harbinger and pivot for sustenance of democracy anywhere in the world, because democracy is no doubt, a vehicle of development where it operates”.