Stop These Inflammatory Statements And Uphold National Harmony!

Source: thewillnigeria.com

SAN FRANCISCO, April 22 (THEWILL) – The peaceful co-existence of people, in a multi-ethnic society as Nigeria, cannot be under-estimated. Unfortunately, some political leaders in the country appear to have lost track of this, and have engaged in inflammatory remarks capable of throwing the nation into chaos.

At a time when Nigeria's Armed Forces seem overstretched following the war against the Boko Haram, there are mounting security concerns over recent statements credited to leaders of thought, heads of governments and public institutions.

Apparently referring to pipeline vandals in the oil-rich Niger Delta, President Muhammadu Buhari, at a meeting with the Nigerian community in China, had threatened to “deal with oil pipeline vandals, the way we dealt with Boko Haram.”

There are fears amongst some political watchers that the President's statement may upset the peace in the volatile region.

Swiftly responding to the President's outburst, a new militant group, which goes by the name: Niger Delta Avengers announced its emergence. The group, which claimed responsibility for the recent attack on Shell's underwater pipeline, has threatened to blow up more strategic pipelines.

Amidst this volatility, the Department of State Services, DSS, issued a statement from its Abuja headquarters recently, claiming that five; out of the over 50 decomposing corpses discovered in shallow graves in Umuanyi forest, in Abia State were Hausa-Fulani herdsmen.

The DSS jumped to conclusion that they were killed by members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, without any scientific proof or proven process, and neither did it disclose the identities of the 45 other bodies in the graves.

The statement signed by its official, Tony Opuinor, had gone to say that IPOB was, “gradually showing its true colour” and attempting “to ignite ethnic terrorism and mistrust.” It is curious that the DSS could be so hasty in arriving at its conclusion.

It was not necessary for such sensitive information to have been fed to the public, while no DNA tests and autopsy had been done.

However, pro-Biafra leaders, have denied the allegation, accusing government of seeking to paint it black, in order to justify a crude assault on the group, as had been vowed in some quarters.

Another case in point is the controversial statement credited to the controversial Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, who despite knowing how combustive his state can get when it comes to religion, declared that Muslims in Kaduna have a population of 70 percent ahead of Christians' 30 percent. This remark earned the governor some backlash from the Christian community with the Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna State, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim dismissing his claim as false, stressing that “His (El-Rufai’s) comment has the tendency of further dividing Kaduna along religious lines; it could cause more problems.”

THEWILL is deeply worried that President Buhari, El-Rufai, others that have made careless statements as well as the DSS have betrayed primordial sentiments in matters that have to do with Nigerians. This becomes critical against the backdrop of the President's tacit support for Fulani herdsmen, who are on rampage across the nation, killing with sophisticated weapons, even as the federal government has refused to probe their source of weapons till date nor made any serious bid to curb the violence and mayhem they often unleash on communities in various parts of the middle-belt and southern states.

We caution political leaders to refrain from making inflammatory statements that are capable of creating further security problems for our security agencies and the nation at large. Public officers should approach national issues with maturity and patriotism after all they swore an oath of allegiance to Nigeria and not their tribe.

We recall that at the peak of militancy in the Niger Delta, the government of late President Umaru Yar'Adua wisely applied the power of negotiation in such a way that the aggrieved people of the oil-rich region saw sincerity in government's bid to address the neglect of the zone. It was the amnesty carrot that led the militants to lay down their weapons leading to the return of peace in the area.

THEWILL also demands that socio-political groups must be careful to draw a line between protecting their regional interests and fanning the embers of war. Here, the recent statement by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) urging the Federal Government to crush the pro-Biafra agitators readily comes to mind. It is imperative that Nigeria sustains the sanctity and harmony of the nation state, placing same above every other interest(s).