Recent comments on burning national Issues

On issues raised by John Idumange and others
On doubt about one Nigeria
How can we pick crumbs when the table is fully laid? For 40 years they ruled you with this contraception known as federalism and you have been in this pit toilet for all this time without complaint. Now you are about to be brought out of it and you are complaining of the smell. Now that GEJ is up there why can't you allow him rule them with the same contraception for a while until we all agree that a change in the constitution is to our collective interest and for once give Nigeria a chance to be. The army must remain united to be used to crush any threat to unity of Nigeria. Go On With One Nigeria!

On Breakup of Nigeria as a solution
Leadership goes with responsibility. We cannot run away from the implication of break up vis a vis the solution we seek. I repeat that it is easier to rule Nigeria as one than divide it. We cannot afford to push our people into a bottomless pit because of sentiments. If Ojukwu had envisaged the consequences to the Igbo race of secession he would agreed to tone down his demands of the Gowon's regime. We must always be wary that Nigeria is a joint volition of 50 years standing and that a measure of integration has happened and will happen. All we need do is give good sense a chance and we shall have harmony again.

On the economic underpinnings of the Odi destruction

As for why the Odi destruction was more urgent for the government than destroying Boko Haram you must consider the value of the two commodities at stake. One is oil which is the cash cow that oils the military contraception of democracy and keeps people from asking questions. The other is religion which is not as important in rating. If you were in their shoes which commodity will you go after first? To tackle this oil dependence and its doom properties is to change the constitution back to derivation and that can only happen with secularity arising from federalism. It the job of the national assembly and what you see is temptation of Jesus to prevent him going into his calling shortly. The military mind wants to get GEJ to take the wrong step to make constitutional amendment secondary.

On calls to break the army into two
If the army breaks into two why should it happen when a southerner is in power? No it is never a solution so we can avoid it by amending the constitution while pretending to dialogue with these groups. As soon as we have a constitution that is unambiguous about religious politics by measure of its secularity, then we can employ the legal and institutional powers to bring violators to book. This was the strategy the former President may have adopted by giving Amnesty but the later part was not implemented via constitution change owing to interferences by vested interests.

On the discrepancies in handling the Boko Haram and Odi

Prof your bombs are much more lethal than other ones. Shouldn't we need to impose a curfew on you? Nevertheless you bring out the salient issues that were never discussed and therefore no lessons were learnt from them. The Odi debacle brought on the militancy reign. Of terror while the Boko Haram killing on TV may have brought on today's mayhem. Wrong decisions always bring on worse consequences on Nigeria and we do not learn a thing because there will always be some guys attempting to scuttle free speech in the name of no go area. Had we been discussing security issues we would not be faced with such senseless decisions that bedeviled our past and present experiencing? So let us turn away from fighting symptoms and face the root causes. The national Assembly should sever the hand of darkness with one act.

On dwelling too much on the symptoms rather than root causes

I know that there structural defects in the Nigerian constitution that distorts the way things are done and are seen to be by those outside government. I do not dis countenance incidences of abuse of power in government and in fact under these circumstances I would have been surprised if there were none. What I want to do is to find lasting solutions by proffering solutions to the root causes. If I put emphasis on the symptoms my energy will run off too quickly without really helping anyone. Some things are to be endured and the imperfection of governance in this transition period is one of them. We are working out a constitution that obeys natural laws and allow the judiciary to quickly dispose cases and the police to enforce the law that is consistent with common sense.

On the appointment of Reuben Abati as GEJ's Press Secretary

Any press secretary that was or is not capable of successful blogging or has no widely published and publishable opinion articles in this communication age like Abati will soon prove a liability to his leader. Nothing is sweeter than merit, nothing helps like competence. I believe the President is beginning to listen.

On America's Independence Day celebrations and President Obama's strides

And President Obama's change has swept the Arab world. His economic policies saved the world economy from collapse.

Still on the so much discussed prediction
What 'America' predicted was the disintegration of the old way of running Nigeria by 2015 and it rings true as you observed. If we all get too attached and have not developed the capacity for change then we are all pulled down by this disintegration and it becomes the end of Nigeria. On the other hand if we detach systematically and begin to prepare an alternative in everything consciously then we can always strengthen the alternative boat and get everyone on board in time before the imminent sinking so that we can even explain to the world that what happened was a planned renewal rather than mere sinking. In that case it will be easy to carry the world along painlessly into the new.

On the specter of disintegration predicted for 2015

What you are not seeing is the rise from this rubble of a new Nigeria full of promise for mankind. The two events go hand in hand according to law. Even if a part of the old Nigeria blacks out Nigeria remains stronger than ever. Everyone has a choice where to belong.

On Boko Harams divisive religious tactics
These people are expressing the futility of our constitution as amended by the military and sustained by mediocre in government since1999. It has come to a head. We must listen and abide by good sense or we join the passing Nigeria of old down the abyss. This group will not itself achieve political power but will be dumped immediately by those groups behind them as soon as they grab concessions they seek. They will be driven across the border from whence their influence came as soon as this constitution stops granting them a safe heaven. Let us hope that by then they have not done so much havoc capable of trying even the tough souls of the very elect.

*Mr Nworisara aspired to be President of Nigeria in 1992