IBB, as he is fondly called, said that time has come “for the devolution of more powers from the federal level to the states.”
He also called on leaders of various levels to desist from fuelling violence and hate speeches.
According to Vanguard, IBB revealed that un-guarded utterances led to Nigerians civil war.
The former military dictator also called for the establishment of a state police force.
IBB 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."
You will recall that the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed said that re-structuring Nigeria is not in the agenda of Buhari's administration.
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