Insecurity: Obasanjo, Sultan, Others Warn On Nigeria Postponing Doomsday If…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alahaji Abubakar Saad, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Samson Ayokunle and other notable leaders of thought on Thursday warned that a National Reconciliation Conference that allows the principles of fairness, equity and justice; with an immediate consideration of legitimate agitations, and a collective effort to de-escalate the conflict and violence across the nation can no longer be ignored.
The equally said that Nigeria is merely postponing doomsday if the Federal and State governments continue to ignore the youth and education in national development programmes.
They pointedly said that the government must act sincerely as an unbiased arbiter in addressing insecurity headlong in the country.
The leaders, who joined other elder statesmen, senior citizens, political leaders from the different geopolitical zones and ethnic nationalities, stressed that some major lapses must as a matter of urgency and national importance be addressed if Nigeria is to remain in peace as a united sovereign state.
They noted that the 1999 Constitution is Oligo-military in nature and does not represent Nigerians’ collective interests, stressing that it needs to be renegotiated by national ethics.
The elder statesmen said that a constitutional review process that would enable peace and social cohesion is necessary and therefore called on the Federal Government to begin a process of constitutional review in order to amend and rework it by drawing on previous constitutions amongst other things to synchronise and harmonize the laudable principles they embody.
The leaders of Thought said such a move would ensure not one-off solutions, but lasting change.
These were contained in a communique issued at the end of an inclusive security dialogue jointly organised in Abuja by the Global Peace Foundation and Vision Africa in which the leaders stressed that the high prevalence of insecurity in the country is driven largely by social injustice and a failed economy thus, fueling continued agitation by the country’s young alienated generation.
The Communique was penned by ex-President Obasanjo, the Sultan of Sokoto, Rev. Samson Ayokunle; 96-year-old Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, the Secretary-General, Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu; the Spokesman, Northern elders Forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed; the Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Okey Emuchay, the Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum, Chief Audu Ogbeh; the President, Vision Africa, Bishop Sunday Onuoha; the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi; former Governor Pbong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State, the Chairman, Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Pogu Bitrus; and a representative of Biafra Group, Udeh Christian-Iwuagwu.
The communique further states; “Hunger and starvation in the Land will get worse as continued violence and insecurity make our farms unsafe for families whose basic sustenance is dependent on their yields from the farms.
“National Development without a focus on youths and the education sector, and an intentional intergenerational collaboration between the elite and the youths, may not augur well for our security. Neither will the organized movement of street children and the disabled from one part of the country to another. We postpone doomsday if it is ignored.
“Neglect of oil exploration communities and minorities will only deepen the threat to our security and unity. Underdevelopment and isolation cannot remain the strategy, else they will be uncomfortable to remain with the concept of Nigeria.
“Government at all levels must revisit and show a sincere effort at understanding the core issues of dissidence and self-determination in Nigeria, rather than incarceration, bullets and counter-attacks as government responds to agitations and unrest.
“The role of religious leaders and pulpit managers (traditional, Christian, Islam) in our moral rearmament and collective re-engineering is urgently needed to salvage our nation. We must draw upon our religious traditions, and our understanding of what is best for our people.
“Government, as a matter of urgency must convene a national reconciliatory conference where we can all address the underlying issues of our challenges in order to quell the mistrust-fueled agitations and crisis before the entity called Nigeria collapses,” they stated.
