The former Information minister and the current National Secretary of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Labaran Maku, has called on Nigerians to embrace peace and unity, noting that Nigerians tribal and religious hatred with one another will retard the growth and development of the nation.

He made the call together with some stakeholders in Nasarawa State, at their separate Sallah messages in Lafia on Saturday.

According to them, peace was the only ingredient that would bring about unity and development in any society.

Maku, who is now the National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), said the diversity among Nigerians should be a source of unity and not disunity.

He said that the almighty God knows the reason why He created human beings with differences of tribe, religion and race.

“God also knows why He chose to make all Nigerians despite our diversity to be citizens of the same country.

“If God wanted all Nigerians to be the same tribe and religion, He could have created us as such.

“So why will anyone hate the other person simply because he is of a different tribe or religion,” he asked.

Maku, therefore, urged all Nigerians to continue to live in peace with one another and work hard toward ensuring one indivisible country.

Similarly, Yusuf Agabi, gubernatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 in Nasarawa State, called on all Muslim Ummah and indeed all Nigerians to love one another.

He said that the Nigerians should always manifest the lesson of Eid-el-Kabir, which implied sacrifice and love for others at all times, and not just during the period.

He also called on Nigerians to continue to pray to God to grant President Muhammadu Buhari good health to enable him bring the country out of the current security and economic challenges.

On his parts, Mohammed Okpede, Member representing Doma North at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, urged herdsmen and farmers to imbibe the spirit of the season and embrace peace.

He said that both farmers and herdsmen needed each other for life to thrive smoothly hence the need for farmers to ensure that cattle routes were not blocked and herdsmen not to deliberately destroy farm produce.

He, therefore, urged Fulani and other community leaders to preach peace among their subjects in order to give peace a chance the way it was in the past.

NAN