COALITION PROFFERS SOLUTIONS TO NIGERIA'S PROBLEMS AT RETREAT

By NBF News
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Feeling highly uncomfortable with the state of the nation, a group of activists under the umbrella of Coalition of Ethnic Nationalities in Nigeria (CENN), gathered last Thursday in Lagos to chart a way forward for the country. RAZAQ BAMIDELE was there. His reports:

As early as 9a.m last Saturday, leaders of various ethnic nationalities started arriving at the Century Hotel, Okota, Lagos, venue of a one-day retreat where they debated on the state of the nation and later proffered solution in form of a communiqué.

Century Hotel where the all important national discourse took place belong to one of the attendees, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, the Founder and President of the famous OOdua Peoples Congress (OPC). Incidentally, Fasehun, a medical doctor cum activist was unanimously and democratically elected the Chairman of the Coalition.

Over 20 representatives of various ethnic nationalities across the country put up appearances at the meeting where there were hot argument after which they eventually arrived at a consensus that later formed the bulk of the communiqué.

Notable among the attendees were: Bright Ezeocha of the Igbo Youth Movement, Yerima Usman Shetima of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Mujaheed Dokubo Asari of the Niger Delta Volunteers Front, Abuka Onalo Omobaba and Michael Abah of the United Middle Belt Youth Congress, Kunle Adesokan of the Federation of Yoruba Conscience and Culture, Dr. Tony Nwaezegwe of Igbo People's Congress, Regent Yoamor of Izon Community, Nelson Ekujiumi of Ilaje National Alliance Movement and Job Frances of Akwa Ibom People's Integrity and Peace Initiative.

Others included Godspower Odenema of Niger Delta Youth Movement, Isoko Youth Movement, Ezeala Ferdinand of Democratic Alliance for Youth and Dr. Declan Ihekaire.

While setting the tone of the meeting's agenda, the Chairman, Fredrick Fasehun stated that the country was far from being healthy, he mentioned some of the afflictions the country was suffering from to include Boko Haram, National Youth Service Corps, Islamic Banking, marginalisation as well as electoral malpractices and power supply.

All the afflictions mentioned above according to Fasehun have bred national insecurity, which he said 'must be tackled and tackled properly before the country can become healthy.

Before they arrived at a communiqué, debate was allowed where leaders of the etnic nationalities present were allowed to make submissions.

On insecurity, Adesokan of the Federation of Yoruba Consciousness and Culture (FYCC), called for decentralisation of the police for effective policing wondering how a Kebbi State born Police man can operate effectively in places like Ajegunle, a Ghetto in Lagos. He mentioned unemployment as another cause of crime that has led to national insecurity in the land.

There was a hot debate on the issue of Boko Haram. While some leaders present did not want the Federal Government to enter into dialogues with the sect, Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari of the NDVF said there was no group known as Boko haram, saying the name was the creation of some wicked politicians who manipulate some people to seek relevance.

While claiming that the alleged slain leader of the sect, Muhammed Yusuf was his friend and co-detainee at Kuje prison, he said there was no trait in him that suggested that he abhored westen education or hated the Christians.

As far as Dokubo was concerned, Yusuf and his Chritians detainees were best of friends stating that the name of his group was Ahlu Sunnah wa Da'watulJ ihad.

While supporting Dokubo's argument, Shetima Yerima of the AYCF would like the authorities to ask the former Borno State governor what transpired between him and Muhammed Yusuf while the latter was in the police custody before the surprise murder of the man.

To Yerima, the man could have been useful in an attempt to clarifying controversial matters surrounding the Boko Haram. However, Yerima condemned in stronger term, the operation of Boko Haram saying the sytem of their agitation that has been leading to loss of lives and destruction of property is 'to say the least unacceptable.'

Ezeocha of the Igbo Youth Congress and the Secretary of the CENN in his own contribution lamented the marginalisation of the Igbos since after the civil war pointing out that 'the South-East is the only zone with the least number of states in Nigeria.' He wanted the imbalance redressed in the interest of justice and fair play.

Ironically however, majority of non-Muslim members, of the coalition including Fasehun saw nothing wrong and unconstitutional in the prosposed Interest-Free Banking otherwise known as Islamic Banking.

According to Fasehun, if such a system was allowed in Christians dominated countries like the United Kingdom, United States and France and there was no conflict, he saw no reason the financial system could not be in operation in Nigeria.

On the NYSC, the coalition thought that it was no more necessary since what was expected to unite the country has paradoxically disintegrate it. Against this background, if the scheme should continue at all, it should be voluntary and the volunteers should be posted to their respective Local Government to serve.

Having discussed all the issues exhaustively, the whole house unanimously agreed that the only panacea for a stable polity in the country where peaceful co-existence would be guaranteed was convocation of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC).

According to them, it was sitting round the table to agree on terms of living together that the country would know peace.

Yerima of the AYCF stood up at this juncture to announce that 'SNC can not break the country but strengthen its unity,' declaring that 'an average Hausa man prefers a united Nigeria and so, will say no to disintegration of the country.'

It was after the debate that a communiqué jointly signed by the leaders of every ethnic nationalities was issued.

The highlights of the communiqué were that the Federal government should treat the actions of the dreaded Boko Haram set as foreign invasion against the country.

They expressed concern about the insecurity currently pervading the length and breadth of the country and the apparent incapacity of security agencies to curtail the situation.

Against this background, the Coalition stated that 'the nefarious operations of the group called Boko Haram must be considered an act of war and terrorism in the class of a foreign invasion against the country, and must be drastically confronted as such by the security agencies to prevent further international embarrassment to Nigeria and further loss of Nigerian lives and property.'

And to curb their activities, the CENN suggested that 'urgent restructuring of the Police must be undertaken to reflect better remunerations, with the Force employing more youths into the Police ranks and the sheriff system of policing should be encouraged to facilitate localized Intelligence-gathering and crime-fighting, while governors as Chief Security Officers of their state must have firm control of the Police in their localities.'

While blaming mass unemployment for some violent crises in the country, the Coalition also urged all three tiers of government, Federal, State and Local to urgently embark on a policy of massive employment for the youths of the country to give gainful job to the jobless youth.

CENN also noted with concern, the NYSC's continuation of its reckless, hasty and misguided policy of posting Nigerian graduates to states where their predecessors were just recently slaughtered with impunity, without the agency or state government's first putting in place structures and assurances of their safety.

On a final note, the Coalition asserted that, Nigeria would remain in crisis unless

The Federal Government showed commitment to the convening of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) as the ultimate panacea for Nigeria's multifarious problems.