A Retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, Oluwaseun Bajowa, has warned against fanning the embers of war, threaten the unity and peace of the country under the guise of protest against bad governance.
Bajowa, in a Open letter made available to newsmen in Akure,the Ondo state capital, pleaded with Nigerians” to give peace a chance, Nigeria’s economy will rise again.
He noted with concerned “the violent dimension that the protest assumed in some parts of the country, especially the north, and the ethnic innuendos that it generated, vis-a-vis the Igbo Must Go campaign said to have been spearheaded by some unscrupulous, faceless groups in Lagos.
Bajowa appealed to “Nigerians across social, political, religious, tribal and ethnic divides, to consider the grave implications of making sensitive statements that tend to fan the embers of war and also threaten the unity and peace of this great nation, for which many paid the Supreme sacrifice, and also for which some of us dedicated the prime of our lives.
According to him “My position is not in any way to downplay the enormity of the economic hardship now being faced by the ordinary citizens, but to encourage us to stand strong together as one indivisible nation, throughout this trying period, and accept it as nothing but a sacrifice for a passing phase in our nation’s history.
“Without sounding political, I believe that our elder statement and leaders across board, should seize the opportunity of a time like this, to send messages of “hope” to our people instead of spreading hopelessness and despair
“Perhaps we need to remind those few Nigerians who delight in singing the songs of war that they are only being driven by ignorance and myopic sentiment; because in actual fact, no one can predict the outcome of any war because no persons or groups have the monopoly of violence!
“Nigeria must avoid falling into the traps of our foreign and domestic enemies, by all means possible.
” Let us learn from the recent experience of a fellow African country, Libya, a once prosperous model African economy, who allowed themselves to be lured into an avoidable war!
He said that “Let Nigerians protect Nigeria and let those who gleefully brandished the flags of some foreign countries during the recent protest be told that no country loves Nigeria more than we Nigerians! And no country is free from one form of challenge or the other.
” It has pleased the Almighty God that He has positioned Nigeria as the leading light of the Black Race! We are also the potential light of the whole world, and we must do everything possible to keep the light of this great nation shining!
“Therefore, to avoid crises and chaos, we the people of Nigeria must love ourselves and give “hope” a chance so that peace can reign. We cannot afford to lose hope because losing hope will lead us to frustration.
” Therefore, the heart of my message in this Open Love Letter is to assure every Nigerian that: If we give peace a chance Nigeria’s economy will rise again.
“I was born and brought up during the colonial era. I am proud to be a retired military officer who served in the Nigerian Army from 1960 to 1980 and who, as a young officer at that time put my life on the line and fought to defend the unity of this country at the famous “Ore Battle”in the then Mid West Sector where we successfully ended the ambitious advance of the Biafra Army, in their bid to capture the Western Region, during the Civil War.
“I have a deep appreciation for the sacrifice of those patriotic Nigerians, dead or alive, who fought so hard “To keep Nigeria One” and remained together till today. I find it most disheartening to see some Nigerians undermining the unity and peace of Nigeria, in our lifetime!!
“Let it be told that Nigeria’s economic challenges did not start today. It is unfortunate that despite being blessed with the most active youth population in the world, we have one of the most unproductive populations of import dependent economy.
” It doesn’t take Rocket Science to know that the way to improve the value of the Naira is to reduce import and increase export. And given the resilience of the Nigerian spirit, I am of the opinion that we can turn the present hardship into prosperity, if we commit ourselves to it.
“While we salute the courage, determination and sincerity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his team to turn around the economic fortune of our country and change the mindset “consumption only” of our people, permanently.
” We appeal to Mr President to devise more means of alleviating the plight of the most vulnerable Nigerians, in particular.
“This is against the background that there are always avenues to perform better despite the fact that, in the history of mankind, no government anywhere in the world, had been acknowledged to have done enough for the people.
“Mr. President should consider an urgent review of the “immunity” and “impunity” among elected and appointed office holders at federal, states and local government levels.
“In so doing, Mr. President should do whatever he can to bring sanity to governance by enforcing severe consequences as deterrent for the excesses of all top government functionaries.
“The President should do whatever he can to reduce the cost of governance drastically to reflect the true state of our economy.
Bajowa” The President, Commander-in-Chief, may also consider the pros and cons of the constitutional review proposed by the Patriotic Group and act accordingly, in the best interest of our country.
“Equally important is the regeneration of fundamental values which had collapsed in the homes, schools, colleges, churches, mosques, communities and all strata in the private and public sectors of the economy
“Nigeria deserves to be at peace, and we must all agree and recognize the fact that peace is the precursor to prosperity.
” It is in this light that the modern concept of peace is often defined as “the presence of justice, equity and other conditions that create social harmony, and thus prevent situations of violence that may result in social or armed conflict”
” I totally agree with the concept of the campaign to END BAD GOVERNANCE, but only as a constructive, non violent idea. And the objective should be to pressurize our leaders to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people. But I disagree with giving the campaign any political, religious, ethnic or treasonous coloration.
“Therefore, my advice to the leaders of the END BAD GOVERNANCE Campaign is to come out clean as a pressure group and take it to the three tiers of government – the Federal, the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and the 774 Local Governments.
“We cannot lay claim to sincerity in our campaign for good governance until we begin to hold ALL OUR LEADERS accountable.
“Some of them are corrupt, whilst some of them encourage corruption, because of personal gains. As they say, “he who must come to equity must come with clean hands”.
” I also vehemently disagree with the tag of DAYS OF RAGE given to the last protest. No responsible government anywhere in the world would fold it’s arms and watch any group unleash rage on the country and her citizens under whatever guise!
He therefore appealed to “all Nigerians to sheathe the sword and forsake all forms of bigotry, and work together for the unity, peace and prosperity of our country. We are better off and stronger as ONE united nation with LOVE, because “united will stand, divided will fall”
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