By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Apparently pained by the state of the nation especially the festering economic and security challenges, a former Minister of Information and Culture, Major General Ibrahim Bata Maragai (IBM) Haruna (Rtd.) has taken a swipe at the successive federal governments since 1970, saying that despite the various programme they introduced the country has not moved forward.
General Haruna who is also the Chairman of National Prosperity Movement (NPM), a progressive movement dedicated to building a Nigeria that is basically cohesive, economically viable and politically stable, also said pointedly that the “Change Mantra” of the present administration which came to power since 2015 has not been able to meet the expectations of Nigerians too.
The elder statesman spoke on Wednesday at NPM’s 2021 National Unity Summit held at Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Center and Suites, Kado, Abuja.
He lamented that the national unity is being threatened hence the need for his group to put together the Summit to fashion out ways to salvage the country.
Going down the memory lane, General Haruna said the diversity of Nigeria which should have been a blessing in disguise has now become an albatross, pointing out that at the end of the Nigerian Civil War efforts were made to foster unity among Nigerians.
Said he: “I can still recall some few high marks. Those of us who had to sacrifice our lives to preserve the integrity of the Nigerian nation know that at the end of that hiatus, the 30 months of the Civil War, we were told, I was still a soldier and I have to obey commands and not to negotiate, We were told that No Victor No Vanquished by our leader General Yakubu Gowon. So that was our marching spirit from 1970”.
“Up to this date where we are now experiencing Change Mantra” since 2015 under the democratic governance of President Muhammadu Buhari. We know that we got here through programmes like National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) programme of President Obasanjo, the Transformation Agenda programme of Presidents Yar’Adua and Jonathan”.
General Haruna who is the Wali of Garkida in Kaduna state however lamented that the democratic experiments have not benefited Nigerians.
“We had short term democratic experience of military dictatorship of General Murtala Mohammed and General Obasanjo which was succeeded by Shehu Shagari and was terminated in 1982 by the military regime of General Buhari who in his time ushered in the war against impunity, immorality, indiscipline and corruption. It was short-lived and then came in series of military dictatorship right up to General Abacha’s regime…”.
“And by 1999 Constitution, democracy was ushered in. However, we have noticed that in spite the Change Mantra and the Democratic Dispensation we have come to learn that the environment of insecurity, corruption economic uncertainty unpredictability for our political and social development charted by the social incoherent of our state and the confusion brought about by those pursuing self determination have made things worse for some to ask what is in it for us hence the need for the National Unity Summit with the theme: Nigeria: The Imperative of Unity”.
Also speaking at the event, the Keynote Speaker, Professor Attahiru Jega, former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), thanked NPM for giving him the opportunity to speak at the Summit but argued that national unity is however not easy to achieve in a country like Nigeria with a diverse people and culture.
Prof. Jega who was also a former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano also said that many youths and women have given up on Nigeria and looking to check out of the country because of the state of hopelessness.
He however said: “it is important to know why we are where we are today”, adding that the British turned Nigeria into a federation for easier administration just as the the founding fathers did not make efforts to talk about the diversity of Nigeria after the amalgamation.
The former INEC boss posited that the idea of making Nigeria great has been problematic since independence in
1960 as the founding fathers formed formed a strong Regional Powers than the centre, arguing that
“they did not forge the National Unity or Unity in Diversity”.
Said he: “After the Civil War, the national leaders were trying to push national unity by introducing programmes like National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Federal Government Colleges, etc to foster unity but along the way they went about creating division in the country. I must say that aside the government of President Shehu Aliyu Shagari, all other elected governments that have followed have helped to destroy the unity of Nigeria”.
Prof Jega however listed seven major threats to National Unity and Security, they include:
- Negative mobilization of ethno-religious and other primordial identities especially in contestations for power in electoral politics
- Hate speeches targeted at perceived “others” in an us” versus “them” categorizations.
- Reckless peddling of Misinformation and Fake News to demonize perceived opponents.
- Giving primacy to the “indigenes” over “citizenship” in states and local governance
- Dangerous if not genocidal narratives emanating from perennial farmer-herders conflicts.
6.Boko Haram insurgency - Irredentist militancy in the South East and South West geopolitical zones.
The erudite scholar therefore stated that these negative trends will have to be reserved by
people with national interest, adding that elected leaders should walk the talk by their actions and programme.
He also recommended that: “All citizens must be seen to be equal before the law in every part of Nigeria and once a citizen of Nigeria moves to another state and is paying his taxes for a number of years, he or she must be a bona fide indigene of the particular state”.
He also recommended that Civic Education should return to Nigerian schools, pointing out that
“countries that have progressed teach Civics or Civic Education in their schools. Teaching of History and Civics should be returned to the school curriculum. You cannot build Democracy without Democrats”.
Other dignitaries who graced the occasion include Royal Father of the Day, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar 3, Sultan of Sokoto represented by Emir of Keffi, Dr. Hafiz Chindo; Ekiti state Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi who is also Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Women’s Groups, Youth Groups and many Civil Society groups.
