The early morning bombing on Friday at the United Nations office in Abuja, represents a dangerous security slide in the country, and a worrying escalation in a senseless pattern of intolerance that seek resolution of differences in the tragic slaughter of fellow human beings.

I join millions of fellow Nigerians who are committed to the universal ideals of the global family the United Nation represents, in condemning this pointless murder of innocent local and foreign workers who have chosen the improvement of fellow human beings as the primary description of their employment.

This is a trying moment for Nigeria and I urge all our compatriots, local leaders and citizens, to rally round in unity and solidarity to help us defeat this absurd strain of intolerance that has the capacity to destroy our standing in the global community, and our internal cohesion as a nation. I also call on the international community to show support and understanding by standing with our country at this difficult moment.

The United Nations, and its crop of civil servants, is testimony to an enduring high human ideal, and the aspirations of a valued commitment to the collective challenge to uplift the global community. For that reason, we cannot settle our local or regional problems by making it a target of hostility and murder.

In empathizing with the families of our dear departed ones, I also call on the Nigerian government to renew its believe in the lofty goals of the United Nations; to ensure that those killed are duly and adequately compensated; that the wounded are offered the best medical care; and, importantly, that the government moves urgently and seriously to resolve worrying lapses in our security preparedness that now appear to make misfortunes like this a tragic-normal.


Nuhu Ribadu
Abuja