Nigeria needs quick intervention to avoid immediate collapse – Adebanjo, Okowa, Baba-Ahmed, others   

 

‘ We need selfless, sacrificial, sincere, broadminded, capable president for enduring nation’

. Nigerians must vote out   APC, PDP – NEF spokesman

.Restructuring must be done before 2023 election  

 

 

UGO AMADI

Nigerian elders  and stakeholders in the Nigerian project have called for immediate intervention and quick restructuring of the nation to avoid immediate collapse of the Nigerian state .

They also warned that the refusal of the Buhari led government to heed to the voice of reasoning may gradually lead the nation in the way of Somalia or Afghanistan if care is not taken

They made the assertions while speaking at the2021 annual lecture and symposium organized By Ripples Centre For Data And Investigative Journalism (RCDIJ),at the  Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos with the theme “Rebuilding Trust in a Divided Nigeria: Advancing the Conversation,”

According to them there is a huge distrust and division among the various ethnic states in the country  which is are products bad governance , corrupt leadership and  absence of a national ideology

They noted that the indices of bad governance in the nation are huge and they include but not limited to ethnicity , tribalism and nepotism  stressing that  it is regrettable that over the years, various leaders chose to exploit the ethnic and religious fault lines in the country to advance their selfish political interests.

Other vices that has caused distrust and division are lopsidedness in power sharing (marginalization of some sections of the country); corruption, lack of accountability and unproductivity, all resulting in poor economic growth;religious bigotry and intolerance; inequality and inequitable distribution of wealth; insecurity – personal, economic and food insecurity – inflicted on the country largely by criminal herdsmen and bandits.

Delivering his  keynote speech  on the  Imperatives For A United Nigeria ,His Excellency, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor Of Delta State, noted that despite various  initiatives and legislation by the political leaders , there is  a huge trust deficit and sharp divisiveness in the Nigerian polity., thus the  common index of these is the various agitations for secession from different parts of the country.

He said that other manifestations of lack of trust in the system and the state of a divided Nigeria are the unusually large number and the high frequency of demonstrations and protests, the most prominent of which was the 2020 #EndSARS nation-wide protests;  labour discontent and frequent strikes often due to Government’s failure to implement negotiated and duly signed agreements;  persistent calls for restructuring, fiscal federalism and devolution of powers to the States;

Others include insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, leading to barbaric destruction of lives and property.

According to the Nigerian Security Tracker of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations reports that 54,362 were killed from 1st January 2015 to 2nd August 2021

Gov .Okowa noted that l other manifestations of mistrust and disunity are the proliferation of zonal security outfits and ethnic militias because, apparently, the Federal Security Agencies have become either ill-equipped, poorly funded or incapable to protect all citizens.

‘Today we have  increasing number of non-governmental organizations for the protection of human and child’s rights;  increase in unemployment- and poverty-induced crimes, such as cybercrimes, human trafficking and international prostitution. All of these derive from general discontent with the quality of governance, frustration and disappointment of the citizenry who feel betrayed by those they elected into power, and anger, raw anger, at the deplorable state of the nation.

Gov. Okowa recommended that there is need for us to stay as a united nation , according to him ,’while I empathize with people who lament the current state of affairs in Nigeria, I do not believe that the solution is to balkanize the country. I strongly believe that we are better and stronger together, and that, with appropriate, visionary leadership and good governance, we can turn our diversity into a great source of strength and a springboard to build a strong multi-ethnic and multi-religious country that will be the envy of other nations.

He affirmed that Leadership is key and as we approach 2023  election  the focus should be on electing a pan Nigerian as president, a person with the capacity and charisma to cast a vision for Nigeria and rally all Nigerians behind it.

‘’We need a selfless, sacrificial, sincere, broadminded, caring and capable president that will inspire hope and confidence in the country; a leader who values merit over mediocrity, competence over cronyism, while upholding the fundamental principles of fairness, equity and justice. This country brims with immense human and natural resources, which cry to be effectively and efficiently harnessed by a responsive – and – responsible leadership for the socio-economic development of the country.  ‘’

‘’The experience of some balkanized countries, such as Yugoslavia, which was balkanized into seven states, shows that, until the fundamental issues of good governance – justice, socio-economic equality, mutual ethnic and religious tolerance, inclusiveness, etc. – are effectively addressed in the mother nation, each new country will be bedeviled by the same divisive problems already in their genes. So, why not tackle the problems in the mother nation that would make a greater impact on the world unlike the tinier new nations?; he stated.

He called on the Federal Government to frontally and transparently tackle insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, criminal herdsmen operations and all purveyors of insecurity in a way to obviate the popular impression that they are executors of a pre-planned genocide. The war against terror is seriously undermined when ransom is paid to these criminal elements.

He said aside from a modern security architecture anchored on technology, the nation must muster the political will to deal decisively with criminals, regardless of their ethnic groups, religions or status.

Stressing that In America and other developed countries of the world, that is what makes their institutions stronger than individuals and keeps even the poorest in the society confident of getting justice before the law.  For democracy to be sustained and the goodwill of the populace retained, impunity must not have even a toehold in our body polity. Our security agencies must be well funded and equipped; training of personnel to build capacity and collaboration between agencies is key.

In his presentation Pa Ayo Adebanjo, leader of Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere warned that it hypocritical for this present government to start talking about 2023 election when we have done the needful which is restructuring of the country.

According to him ‘We need to settle down and discuss how to live together and the terms of our unity. It is after then we can elect the person to become president.’ All the inequalities we are complaining about are because of this fraudulent Constitution.

He lamented that the current Buhari administration is a total failure and he wonders who advises him.

He said for us to have trust in the state called Nigeria we must restructure now or nothing.

Also,  the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) spokesman Hakeem Baba-Ahmed affirmed that the current Buhari government is a total failure  and  said that for the nation to move forward and start rebuilding trust , Nigerians must as a matter of urgency vote out the two cankerworms in the nation called APC and PDP.

He said “It will not be the best choice for the Igbo or Nigerians to leave a country we have all toiled to build and a country we all have responsibility to fix, but it will not help a country already burdened with failures on its knees to fight another war to keep the Igbo in Nigeria.”

‘’I am worried they way things are going in the country. As at today we the people are victims to banditry and bad governance. More worrisome is that every single Day things  are  not getting better and there is nothing good coming from this government.’’ He stated

‘’ We need a country that is united, a government that can create job, protect lives and properties, create forum for the people to discuss and show care and love to its people.

He warned that ‘If we don’t do anything to curtain banditry today  it will grow and become like the Talibans

He said we should sideline the uselessness of the current  political parties  and find a way of talk to each other. Stressing that the north is willing to talk to rest of the nation. The Northerners are not our enemies rather it is the thief’s and corrupt individuals that are the Nigerian’s enemies.

Speaking at the dialogue, the  Immediate past Secretary to Imo State Government, Barr. Uche Onyeagocha lamented that despite the current covid 19 pandemic ravaging the nations that the state of Nigeria is bedevil by another pandemic as a result of drugs abuse.

He said’ drug abuse  is common in many homes in Nigeria and I am worried after this struggle we will hand over a nation people that are drug addicts. He called on everyone to start the fight the scourge called drug abuse.

He said that people have lost confidence in the country called Nigeria and that the unity of the nation must be renegotiated to represent a better nation.

He warned that Nigeria is likely to disintegrate if nothing is a done. And if it is difficult to stay together it is better we separate peacefully.