Former Speaker of the House of Representative, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, on Saturday, said Nigeria is heading towards a dangerous precipice.
Dogara lamented that “Nigeria is at war with itself and it’s like all roads lead to Golgotha. The dam has broken and we have reached an inflexion point.”
He stated this during the 10th Convocation ceremony of the Achievers University in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government Area in Ondo State.
Dogara who is the Chancellor of the University, identified the insecurity in the land, epileptic economic growth, unemployment, extreme inequality with poverty and citizens alienation from the government as some of the few challenges responsible for the present situation in the country.
He noted that some past leaders have predicted the present situation but the observations had been left unattended to and coming to fruition.
“Long before the events of today, the late sage. Chief Obefemi Awolowo. remarked in 1947 that Nigeria was not a nation but a “mere geographic expression”.
“Our literary icons too have wondered in brilliant prose, “is Nigeria a nation and should it be?” quipped Prof Soyinka.
Soyinka also asked the question, “does a state shamelessly plundered by a succession of rulers have any legitimate claim on the loyalty of its citizenry?”
“Prof Soyinka fears Nigeria may be a farcical illusion. Also, the late Chinua Achebe had cause to intensely grieve over the demise of a Nigeria that had been promised by the nationalist movement.
“All these observations were made before now that cancer that led to those observations has been left to metastasize. This means, all this while, something has been fundamentally wrong with Nigeria which we have failed to cure.” Dogara said.
“Other experts have linked insecurity in Nigeria to the government’s failure or lack of capacity to deliver public services as well as provide basic needs of the people. This lapse creates a pool of frustrated people who are easily ignited by any event to be violent.
“Also, inequality and unfairness in appointment and distribution of public utilities create a perception of marginalization by a section of the people, especially the youth, who have a sense of disaffection and/or resentment.
He also identified other causes of insecurity in the country to the loss of socio-cultural and communal value system such as collectivism and loyalty to authority; porous borders that enable untracked individuals and groups moving in and out of the country at will; extreme poverty, illiteracy and inveterate corruption, and not limited to inadequate equipping and training of security personnel.
Dogara noted that the insecurity is gradually spreading to the South West and South-East leading to the creation of vigilante and zonal security outfits in these zones.
According to him the creation of the Amotekun Corps in the South West and the Ebube Agu in the South-East might not put an end to the insecurity in the areas as the personnel of the outfit would soon degenerate into lucrative criminal cartels.
“Lack of training will result in extra-judicial killings and some of us who have welcomed them as saviours will sooner than later start condemning them for their brinkmanship and lack of transparency. History is replete with disturbing anecdotes on the impossible necessity of vigilantes” he said.
He, however, said “The effects of insecurity in Nigeria are being felt by all. Many of us in this assembly, who ordinarily would have travelled by road, would have chosen a journey by a flight out of fear, thereby inevitably affecting our budget.
“The effects of insecurity are multi-dimensional, including loss of investment which in turn discourages potential domestic and international investors; destruction of critical infrastructure; human resource decimation through hostage-taking, kidnapping and genocide; disruption of human capital development through kidnapping of students in educational institutions; and disruption of economic activities through theft, armed robbery, assassination, ritual killing, and numerous fraudulent activities, amongst others”
According to him the present situation in the country is responsible for the prediction that Nigeria may not exist beyond 2023 but said “this shouldn’t scare us. But what scares me is post-2023, if we get it all wrong. What is on the 2023 ballot is Nigeria itself.
” We need a team whose pedigree must match their rhetoric for unity, peace and progress. Our most immediate challenge now is to bring our disparate peoples together and pull down our barriers; otherwise, we cannot build. Issues of development, although absolutely important, are not the most immediate.
” No one without an implementable solution on the questions of unity and justice for us all regardless of ethnicity or creed should have their names on the ballot, period.
“Make no mistake, if we dare get it all wrong in 2023, we would have succeeded in hastening the days of the first four hours – the famous horsemen of the apocalypse on ourselves days that will be marked by conquest, war, famine and death. May God forbid”
He said “The solution is as complex as the problem; that is why it will take visionary leadership with the right political will to win this war.
“Be that as it may, we must move forward as a nation. Stemming the tide of insecurity in Nigeria requires all hands to be on deck. We must all be involved. All Nigerians should consider themselves stakeholders if the war against insecurity must be won.
“Although Nigeria has broken my heart severally, I still love her a lot. This is because of the consequences of a fractured Nigeria not only on the psyche of Nigerians but the black race.
“Nigeria represents a major promise that a black nation can truly attain the status of a global superpower and once Nigeria vanishes, that promise will perish with it.
“Therefore, I will rather be part of a stable and prosperous populous nation with a major promise than a citizen of a fragmented part of Nigeria no matter how well organized it may be.
“I am sure there are so many here who believe as I do. No doubt, the challenges of our nationhood are difficult but surmountable. We must not give up until something gives in or gives way.
“Gladly, all problems come with their solutions embedded in them but only those genuinely looking for the solutions get to find them. Believe me, we can solve these problems if all of us earnestly start looking for the solutions.”
