Full text of what IBB said about restructuring of Nigeria
Full text of what IBB
said about restructuring of Nigeria
Former Military Head
of State, Gen Ibrahim Babangida(rtd) on Monday said the time has come for
Nigeria to restructure.
Babaginda made the remark while appealing to Nigerians to
refrain from making hate speeches which, according to him led to a 20-month
civil war.
Speaking during the
prayer to mark his 75th birthday celebration at the Hilltop, Minna, Niger
State, the former military Head of State said there was “little discord among
Nigerians of different social classes as he urged Nigerians to synergise their
different potentials towards building a great nation.”
The former military
ruler noted that the fear of state governors using state police to run amok was
not as strong as the greater benefit that creating state police would do for
the nation.
Babaginda, who urged leaders across the aggrieved parts of the
country to show maturity, insisted that war is not a “joke anyone should toy
with.”
He said, “Nigeria, my
dear country, is not a stranger to crisis, nor is she immune to it. In a
profound sense, she can be said to have been created out of crisis, a nation
state that will continue to strive to subdue and transcend crises.
“In over a century of its formalized colonial architecture,
Nigeria has grown and made remarkable progress in the midst of crises. The most
tragic and horrendous episode in Nigeria’s history has been the 30 month Civil
War of July 1967 to January 1970, in which many of our compatriots lost their
lives.
“Indeed, many others
also suffered terrible injuries of human and material dimensions. So, who
really wants to go through the depth and dimensions of another Civil War in
Nigeria again? Who does not know that that Civil War was preceded and started
by intolerance and a series of hate pronouncements, hate speeches, hate
conducts and actions that were inflicted upon one another by the citizens?
“Today, with a deep sense of nostalgia, I still carry within my
body the pains of injury from the Civil War: there is nothing romantic about
war; in any form, war is bad, condemnable and must be avoided. I need hardly
say I am very worried by the current on-going altercations and vituperations of
hate across the country by individuals, well-known leaders, religious leaders,
group of persons and organizations.
“ We need to remind
ourselves that conflicts are not evidently the stuff of politics and
governance, particularly so of democracy, hence we must apply caution in our
utterances, body language and news reportage.
“The management of
conflicts is the acid test of maturity, of mutual livelihood and of democratic
governance. We cannot and we must not allow the current hate atmosphere to
continue to freely pollute our political landscape unchecked.
“Personally, I reject the proceedings of hate and their
dissemination and urge my fellow citizens to strongly condemn the scourge and
orgy of the current crisis which, in my view, is an outcome of vengeful
appetites within the multiple contexts of our democratic governance and the
profound inequalities that have distorted our social relations.
“Nonetheless, it is
not the place of leaderships to fuel and hype conflicts nor should we allow
losers and gainers of our governance regimes to make pronouncements and threats
that exploit our ethnic, religious and geopolitical construct.
“Democracy, anywhere in the world, is a work in progress; and
one that is subject to constant evolution and debate. The drums of war are easy
to beat, but their rhythms are difficult to dance. Starting wars or political
upheavals comes with the slightest provocation, but ending them becomes
inelastic, almost unending with painful footages of the wrecks of war.
“I have been involved
and its ripples are tellingly unpalatable, with gory details of destruction and
carnage. I am a Nigerian, a citizen, patriot and concerned stakeholder. It is
my strong belief that Nigeria can attain greater greatness if we all nurture
our minds in the direction of building a nation, and accepting responsibility
for its successes and failures.
“We cannot deny or
repudiate our progress at nation-building in spite of the limitations and
challenges that we have continued to experience. As a people, we need a proper
study and understanding of our history in order to correct the warped
perceptions of our past so as to minimize the dangers of badly skewed stories
of our democratic experience in governance; and to regenerate mutual confidence
and uphold the tenets of living together as one country.
“No one government or administration can provide all the answers
to the myriad of problems and challenges confronting us as a country; no matter
how determined, resolute, committed and motivated such a government is.
“The citizens have
their roles to play, and their obligations to fulfill in order to motivate government
in achieving its stated goals and objectives. Governance is a function of the
leadership and the followership.
“It is a two-way
traffic that demands certain responsibilities from those involved. Of late,
Nigeria has become so sharply divided with emotions running high on the least
provocations. Once tempers are that high, the fault-lines become easily visible
and with the slightest prompting, the unexpected can happen.
“But I want to believe
that Nigerians are still their reasonable selves’, highly endowed in various
skills and intellectually empowered to compete anywhere in the global arena.
“As a Nigerian, I have
had the rare privilege to benefit from robust relationships from different
people across the socio-political divide; East, West, North and South. I have
also immensely interacted with persons from all the numerous tribes, cultures
and ethnic configurations dotted across the entire gamut of Nigeria’s expansive
lands. I have made friends, built alliances, nurtured relationships and sustained
linkages amongst Nigerians of all shades and opinions.
“In fairness,
Nigerians are great people. In those hours, moments and duration of friendship
and camaraderie, no one talks about origin, geopolitical zones or even states.
The issue of religion does not dictate the flow of discourse. We deal with
ourselves based on our character and content, and not the sentiments of what
part of the country we hail from.
“The inalienable fact that Nigerians can live in any part of the
country to pursue their legitimate aspirations is a strong indication that we
have accepted to invest in the Nigerian project, and are no longer driven by
mutual suspicion but mutual respect.
“That we have not
fully realized our potentials as a great nation is not enough reason for us to
want to demolish the foundation of our nationhood or rubbish the labours of our
heroes past; both of which are borne out of our collective efforts to build a
truly great nation, and great people.
“If we have repeatedly
done certain things and not getting the desired results, we need to change
tactics and approach, and renew our commitment. It is our collective
responsibilities to engender a reform that would be realistic and in sync with
modern best practices.
“For example,
restructuring has become a national appeal as we speak, whose time has come. I
will strongly advocate for devolution of powers to the extent that more
responsibilities be given to the states while the Federal Government is vested
with the responsibility to oversee our foreign policy, defense, and economy.
“Even the idea of
having Federal Roads in towns and cities has become outdated and urgently needs
revisiting. That means we need to tinker with our constitution to accommodate
new thoughts that will strengthen our nationality.
“Restructuring and devolution of powers will certainly not provide
all the answers to our developmental challenges; it will help to reposition our
mindset as we generate new ideas and initiatives that would make our union
worthwhile. The talk to have the country restructured means that Nigerians are
agreed on our unity in diversity; but that we should strengthen our structures
to make the union more functional based on our comparative advantages. Added to
this desire is the need to commence the process of having State Police across
the states of the Federation.
“This idea was
contained in my manifesto in 2010 when I attempted to contest the presidential
elections. The initial fears that State Governors will misuse the officers and
men of the State Police have become increasingly eliminated with renewed vigour
in citizens’ participation in, and confidence to interrogate power.
“We cannot be detained
by those fears and allow civilization to leave us behind. We must as a people
with one destiny and common agenda take decisions for the sake of posterity in
our shared commitment to launch our country on the path of development and
growth.
“Policing has become
so sophisticated that we cannot continue to operate our old methods and expect
different results. I also want to appeal to the Nigeria media to be more
circumspect in their news reportage.
“They should always
weigh the security implications of the contents of their news and the screaming
headlines that stare us in the face every day, especially at this fragile
period of our political emanations. The media play an important and remarkable
role in shaping the flow of discourse.
“Their level of
influence is also not in doubt, but as the fourth estate of the realm, it has a
greater responsibility to moderate public discourse in a manner that will
cement inter- and intra-cultural relationships.
“If Nigeria works, it
benefits all her citizens; if it fails, it hurts all her citizens too. The
media should be patriotic in its present engagements to berth a new Nigeria of
our dreams. On a final note, I really wish we see strength, determination,
commitment and confidence in our diversities rather than adversities.
“As a heterogeneous country with flourishing skills and numerous
endowments, we should dictate the pace in Africa and lead by example of what is
possible amongst a people that are focused and determined to pursue common
national goal.
“As a former Military
President who had the rare privilege to travel around Africa to sustain the
African cooperation through peace-keeping operations, I have come to the
conclusion that nations are driven by a common ideal and not by the homogeneity
of their race. I saw Somalia, such a homogeneous conclave yet one of the most
troubled countries in Africa today.
“I saw South Sudan,
which broke away from the old Sudan, but peace and stability have eluded them.
Rwanda genocidal experience is not romantic either. But a President from the
minority ethnic group has repositioned the country to assume its pride of place
in the comity of nations.
“That a people share
common identity, language, history, doctrine, culture, mores and values is not
synonymous with development, growth, stability and peace. When we went into
peace-keeping operations in Sierra Leone, Somalia, Liberia and Congo, we had in
mind to sustain oneness in Africa even though we are a continent of different
countries all bearing different logos and identities.
“Our motivation was simply that we are Africans. I am therefore
appealing to the sensibilities of all of us, young and old, leaders and
followers, groups and organizations, that in the interest of peace and
stability of our country, we need to sheathe the sword. At 76, I have seen it
all. I have seen war. I have fought war.
“And I have survived
war, even though I still suffer the pains and injuries of war, it is part of
the selfless sacrifice to keep the union afloat. We must build a country that
is forward looking for our children and future generations of Nigerians.
“We cannot afford to
toil with the destinies of the 170million Nigerians by the shape of our
discourse and the content of our interaction. We must carry out conscious
attitudinal orientation that will change the mindset of our youths and the held
beliefs of the elderly.
“We must explore the
therapies of dialogue and constructive engagements in our desire to make life
more meaningful for our people. My friends cut across all regions, zones and
states. I am proud to be a Nigerian because I see hope in the youthful
population of Nigerians. I see remarkable skills and raw talents that can
stimulate enterprise and innovations.
“This is the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan, a month in which
Muslim faithful have dedicated their lives to seek closeness to God, and
forgiveness of their inequities. It is a month of penance; a month of prayer
for physical, moral and spiritual rejuvenation, regeneration and rebirth. I
urge my countrymen and women to use the occasion to look ahead with hope and
renewed dedication to the service of our country.
