A former presidential candidate and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has called for global peace against the backdrop of the recent terorist attack in Russia.
Olawepo-Hashim made the call in his letter to President Vladimir Putin, wherein he conveyed sympathy to the people of Russia, and the families of those killed in the terrorist attack of the Music Hall in Moscow on Friday, March 22, 2024.
In the letter dated Monday, March 25, 2024 and sent through the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Abuja, Olawepo-Hashim said the attack not only remained “a fiendish assault on live Culture and Civilisation,” the “horrific act which reportedly claimed 137 lives (and still climbing) and .many injured, must be condemned by all peace loving people all over the world and people of good conscience.”
He added that “the attack further underscores the ubiquitous nature of terror which no nation is immuned against as long as there exist ample number of fertile minds for evil, sometimes not always possible to completely track.
“Sad occurrences such as the 9/11 in the US, London Tube bombing, and many variants of terrorist actions such as this in powerful nations highlights the necessity of increased international cooperation and solidarity against terrorism and the need to strengthen Peace Globally across political divides.”
According to him, “though Nigeria feels the pains of terrorism daily, Nigeria people must stand with Russia a friendly Nation that has demonstrated generous friendship and support to our Nation in times of war and peace in the past.”
He stressed that “not only did Russia support efforts to keep Nigeria one during the Nation’s Civil War, Russia extended economic support for the building of important economic infrastructures and provided scholarships and technical training for the Nation’s key professionals. Russia was a key ally of our founding fathers in the struggle for independence from colonial rule.”
Olawepo-Hashim emphasised that “the bond of friendship between Nigeria and the Russian people has been traditionally reciprocal as demonstrated during the incident of the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy when Nigeria announced substantial financial donation in Solidarity with Russia.
“Let me add my voice as a friend of Russia at a time like this to comfort those who were wounded in last Friday’s attack and to stand in Solidarity with Russia,” the statement said.
