Buhari’s warning against civil war – Part 2

Continued from yesterday

On the other hand, sectional grievances have escalated to outright demands to secede, and in some parts of the country, symbols of federal authority such as the police and public structures are regularly attacked.

No one should think that those who seek to leave this ‘union’ are happy to do so. No. By all reasonable calculations, a big, united, focused and strong Nigeria is better for everyone. But it appears that no one is listening to the aggrieved.

The arrogance of power is so thick in the air that federal authorities appear to not think there is a problem. But there is indeed not only a problem, there are problems; it is sheer folly to pretend otherwise.

Politicians have, arguably, always been the bane of Nigeria. Their self-seeking excesses including political immaturity, winner-takes-all politics and politics of bitterness, desperation and unguarded threat plunged Nigeria into a political crisis that encouraged a military coup that led to other incidents that in turn culminated in a civil war.

Too many of the present Nigerian politicians behave as if they never read Nigeria’s history. Who can forget Buhari’s threat in Kaduna, before he eventually won the election, that ‘‘God willing, by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way.’’

He added, so ominously, ‘‘If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.’’ Pray, why should the ambition of any politician be worth the blood of fellow citizens?

Nepotism at the highest level of government is driving a feeling of alienation and therefore a sense of disloyalty to the state. Mr. Buhari is fully to blame for this as can be evidentially proven in his appointment to government positions.

The 1999 constitution of Nigeria speaks copiously against nepotism in any form. Section 14(3) enjoins that ‘‘the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few state or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies.’’

Section 14(4) requires the Nigerian state to ‘‘foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various peoples of the Federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties.’’ Section  17(1)  states that ‘‘the State social order is founded on ideals of freedom, equality, and justice’’ while  Section 23 assures Nigerians that ‘‘the national ethics  shall be Discipline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social Justice, Religious Tolerance, Self-Reliance, and Patriotism.’’

It is right and proper to expect that, in accordance with his presidential oath of office, Buhari would take the lead to transparently uphold these and other provisions for balance, equity, and justice in the land. Regrettably, he has not fulfilled this constitutional obligation beyond a reasonable doubt.

The consequence of Buhari’s inadequate commitment to the constitutional demands for fairness and national cohesion is that, first, leaders at other levels of government do not feel compelled to observe these provisions as required of them in Section 14(4). The second and more dangerous consequence is that other ethnic nationalities and religious groups feel alienated from the government that many of them voted into power.

Nepotism is a form of corruption and abuse of power entrusted to the leader. It violates Section 15(5) of the Constitution that ‘‘The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.’’

Lately, in this season of election and electioneering campaigns, Nigerian politicians (who do not seem to read or imbibe enough of world history) have injected the dimension of religion into politics.

For a country of religious plurality that is constitutionally bound by Section 10 and a national ethic of ‘Religious Tolerance,’ its politicians are ‘weaponising’ religion as an instrument to gain power. 

Indeed, just about every section of society is now politicised. This is dangerous to the country and, needless to say, to the proponents themselves. Besides, it violates the cohesive spirit of the constitution.

It bears repeating that Buhari, having appreciated the threat to the country under him, should, nay must, do everything within his awesome constitutional power to keep Nigeria safe and one. That is a constitutionally defined purpose of his government.

To this end, the first step is to, as an army general who fought in Nigeria’s civil war, take personal charge of the war against insurgency and rout the terrorists who roam and operate freely in contemptuous disregard for his APC government.

A concomitant step to improve national security is to allow the formation of well-trained and properly equipped state and community police forces.  Indeed, this was a campaign promise of the APC in the 2015 election. It is not too late for the party too, as a matter of honour, live up to this documented pledge.