Former President, Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday wrote another open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.
He lamented the state of the nation, while calling for urgent actions to tackle Nigeria’s challenges.
The letter released by Kehinde Akinyemi, his Special Assistant on Media, reads:
OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT, GENERAL MUHAMMADU BUHARI
I am constrained to write to you this open letter. I decided to make
it an open letter because the issue is very weighty and must be greatly
worrisome to all concerned Nigerians and that means all right-thinking
Nigerians and those resident in Nigeria. Since the issue is of momentous
concern to all well-meaning and all right-thinking Nigerians, it must
be of great concern to you, and collective thinking and dialoguing is
the best way of finding an appropriate and adequate solution to the
problem. The contents of this letter, therefore, should be available to
all those who can help in proffering effective solutions for the problem
of insecurity in the land.
One of the spinoffs and accelerants is the misinformation and
disinformation through the use of fake news. A number of articles, in
recent days, have been attributed to me by some people who I believe may
be seeking added credence and an attentive audience for their opinions
and view-points. As you know very well, I will always boldly own what I
say and disown what is put into my mouth. But the issue I am addressing
here is very serious; it is the issue of life and death for all of us
and for our dear country, Nigeria. This issue can no longer be ignored,
treated with nonchalance, swept under the carpet or treated with
cuddling glove. The issue is hitting at the foundation of our existence
as Nigerians and fast eroding the root of our Nigerian community. I am
very much worried and afraid that we are on the precipice and
dangerously reaching a tipping point where it may no longer be possible
to hold danger at bay. Without being immodest, as a Nigerian who still
bears the scar of the Nigerian civil war on my body and with a son who
bears the scar of fighting Boko Haram on his body, you can understand, I
hope, why I am so concerned. When people are desperate and feel that
they cannot have confidence in the ability of government to provide
security for their lives and properties, they will take recourse to
anything and everything that can guarantee their security individually
and collectively.
For over ten years, for four of which you have been the captain of
the ship, Boko Haram has menacingly ravaged the land and in spite of
government’s claim of victory over Boko Haram, the potency and the
activities of Boko Haram, where they are active, remain undiminished,
putting lie to government’s claim. The recent explanation of the Chief
of Army Staff for non-victory due to lack of commitment and lack of
motivation on the part of troops bordering on sabotage speaks for
itself. Say what you will, Boko Haram is still a daily issue of
insecurity for those who are victimised, killed, maimed, kidnapped,
raped, sold into slavery and forced into marriage and for children
forcibly recruited into carrying bombs on them to detonate among crowds
of people to cause maximum destructions and damage. And Boko Haram will
not go away on the basis of sticks alone, carrots must overweigh sticks.
How else do you deal with issues such as only about 50% literacy in
North-East with over 70% unemployment?
Herdsmen/farmers crises and menace started with government treating
the issue with cuddling glove instead of hammer. It has festered and
spread. Today, it has developed into banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery
and killings all over the country. The unfortunate situation is that
the criminality is being perceived as a ‘Fulani’ menace unleashed by
Fulani elite in the different parts of the country for a number of
reasons but even more, unfortunately, many Nigerians and non-Nigerians
who are friends of Nigeria attach vicarious responsibility to you as a
Fulani elite and the current captain of the Nigeria ship. Perception may
be as potent as reality at times. Whatever may be the grievances of
Fulanis, if any, they need to be put out in the open and their
grievances, if legitimate, be addressed; and if other ethnic groups have
grievances, let them also be brought out in the open and addressed
through debate and dialogue.
The main issue, if I may dare say, is poor management or
mismanagement of diversity which, on the other hand, is one of our
greatest and most important assets. As a result, very onerous cloud is
gathering. And rain of destruction, violence, disaster and disunity can
only be the outcome. Nothing should be taken for granted, the clock is
ticking with the cacophony of dissatisfaction and disaffection
everywhere in and outside the country. The Presidency and the Congress
in the US have signalled to us to put our house in order. The House of
Lords in the UK had debated the Nigerian security situation. We must
understand and appreciate the significance, implication and likely
consequences of such concerns and deliberations.
No one can stop hate speech, violent agitation and smouldering
violent agitation if he fans the embers of hatred, disaffection and
violence. It will continue to snowball until it is out of control. A
stitch in time saves nine, goes the old wise saying.
With the death of Funke, Chief Fasoranti’s daughter, some sympathetic
Nigerian groups are saying “enough is enough”. Prof. Anya, a
distinguished Nigerian merit Laureate, has this to say “We can no longer
say with certainty that we have a nation”. Niger-Delta leaders,
South-Eastern leaders, Middle-Belt leaders and Northern Elders Forum
have not remained quiet. Different ordinary Nigerians at home and abroad
are calling for different measures to address or ameliorate the
situation. All the calls and cries can only continue to be ignored at
the expense of Nigerian unity, if not its continued existence.
To be explicit and without equivocation, Mr. President and General, I am deeply worried about four avoidable calamities:
1. abandoning Nigeria into the hands of criminals who are all being
suspected, rightly or wrongly, as Fulanis and terrorists of Boko Haram
type;
2. spontaneous or planned reprisal attacks against Fulanis which may
inadvertently or advertently mushroom into pogrom or Rwanda-type
genocide that we did not believe could happen and yet it happened.
3. similar attacks against any other tribe or ethnic group anywhere
in the country initiated by rumours, fears, intimidation and revenge
capable of leading to pogrom;
4. violent uprising beginning from one section of the country and
spreading quickly to other areas and leading to dismemberment of the
country.
It happened to Yugoslavia not too long ago. If we do not act now, one
or all of these scenarios may happen. We must pray and take effective
actions at the same time. The initiative is in the hands of the
President of the nation, but he cannot do it alone. In my part of the
world, if you are sharpening your cutlass and a mad man comes from
behind to take the cutlass from you, you need other people’s assistance
to have your cutlass back without being harmed. The mad men with serious
criminal intent and terrorism as core value have taken cutlass of
security. The need for assistance to regain control is obviously
compelling and must be embraced now.
A couple of weeks ago at a public lecture, I had said, among other things, that:
“In all these issues of mobilisation for national unity, stability,
security, cooperation, development, growth and progress, there is no
consensus. Like in the issue of security, government should open up
discussion, debate and dialogue as part of consultation at different
levels and the outcome of such deliberations should be collated to form
inputs into a national conference to come up with the solution that will
effectively deal with the issues and lead to rapid development, growth
and progress which will give us a wholesome society and enhanced living
standard and livelihood in an inclusive and shared society. It will be a
national programme. We need unity of purpose and nationally accepted
strategic roadmap that will not change with whims and caprices of any
government. It must be owned by the citizens, people’s policy and
strategy implemented by the government no matter its colour and leaning.
Some of the groups that I will suggest to be contacted are:
traditional rulers, past heads of service (no matter how competent or
incompetent they have been and how much they have contributed to the
mess we are in), past heads of para-military organisations, private
sector, civil society, community leaders particularly in the most
affected areas, present and past governors, present and past local
government leaders, religious leaders, past Heads of State, past
intelligence chiefs, past Heads of Civil Service and relevant current
and retired diplomats, members of opposition and any groups that may be
deemed relevant.”
The President must be seen to be addressing this issue with utmost
seriousness and with maximum dispatch and getting all hands on deck to
help. If there is failure, the principal responsibility will be that of
the President and no one else. We need cohesion and concentration of
effort and maximum force – political, economic, social, psychological
and military – to deal successfully with the menace of criminality and
terrorism separately and together. Blame game among own forces must be
avoided. It is debilitating and only helpful to our adversary. We cannot
dither anymore. It is time to confront this threat headlong and in a
manner that is holistic, inclusive and purposeful.
For the sake of Nigeria and Nigerians, I pray that God may grant you,
as our President, the wisdom, the understanding, the political will and
the courage to do what is right when it is right and without fear or
favour. May God save, secure, protect and bless Nigeria. May He open to
us a window of opportunity that we can still use to prevent the worst
happening. As we say in my village, “May God forbid bad thing”.
OLUSEGUN OBASANJO
July 15, 2019