The Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, has lambasted members of the Nigerian elite calling on foreign powers to interfere in the nation’s domestic affairs.
He described the calls as the “highest level of unpatriotism”.
Masari said that the Nigerian elite needed to be more supportive of the Federal Government by avoiding unpatriotic conduct.
The Director-General (DG) Media, Katsina Government House, Alhaji Abdu Labaran, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Sunday in Katsina.
Labaran said the governor made the call in his Eid-el-Kabir message.
According to him, “such conduct of the Nigerian elite casts the country in bad light.
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“The governor spoke bordering on recent calls by some prominent Nigerians on international bodies and foreign powers to forcefully interfere in the nation’s internal affairs vis-a-vis the security situation in the country.
“In an Eid-el-Kabir message, Masari observed that, as a sovereign nation, Nigeria deserves the respect of foreign nations whatever their status on the global stage may be.
“For any compatriot to wilfully call on foreign powers to meddle in the internal affairs of Nigeria, is to display the highest level of unpatriotism.
“No responsible citizen, least of all those who are foremost beneficiaries of the commonwealth, would encourage foreign powers to interfere in internal affairs of their nation, regardless of its adversities,” he said.
Masari also charged the Nigerian elite to borrow a leaf from their counterparts in those foreign powers and guard Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“In those climes, the leading citizens partner with the governments to protect and advance national interest. They do not go to the marketplace to expose the perceived inadequacy of their leaders.
“At these trying moments, what the nation’s leadership requires is support by way of concrete advice in private, not going public with unsubstantiated accusations which defy reason and logic.
“For those wrapping the insecurity situation in the country in religious and ethnic cloak, Masari further noted that, adversities do not respect any boundaries, be them religious, ethnic or regional.
“The insecurity buffeting the country is not limited to one section of the country, or affecting only one ethnic group or the adherents of only one religion. It doesn’t even spare social status,”he said.
According to Labaran, the governor called for more commitments and prayers from Nigerians for the continued survival of the nation as one corporate entity.
He also urged Muslims to look beyond the merriments and focus on the lesson of the Eid-el-Kabir, which is sacrifice in obedience to the Command of God.