As Nigeria marks her 57
Independence anniversary today, a group under the aegis of Coalition of Civil
Society for Transparency and Good Governance has hailed the Nigerian Army for
being a guardian of good governance.
Speaking at a plenary session in
Abuja as part of activities marking the nation’s 57th Independence anniversary,
the group appealed to the Nigerian military not to relent in going after
terrorists that do not want Nigeria to keep existing as a united country.
A communique issued on Friday and
jointly signed by its chairman, Patriot Sabo Odeh and secretary, Samson Onwu,
said Nigeria must continue to rally round the Nigerian Army as its men sweat it
out on daily basis to keep the nation united
The communique reads in full…
During the plenary, it noted the
increasing agitation for restructuring of Nigeria and further observed that the
content, nature, process and procedures for achieving the restructuring being
canvassed are unconstitutional and constitutes unnecessary heating of the
polity for selfish and primordial interest.
It was further noted that
criminals and terrorists are hiding behind these demands of self seeking
Nigerians to attempt dividing Nigeria in violation of all known international
instruments; these terrorists, in addition to canvassing their manifestoes, are
currently attempting to intimidate, blackmail and subdue the military and
security agencies including direct attacks on troops.
We want to assert that the
agitations for terrorists that are pursuing secessionist agenda must be
immediately tackled without sentiments and bias if Nigeria is to celebrate more
Independence anniversaries as a united and prosperous country.
We charge the advocates of
restructuring to channel their demands through the National Assembly since it
would help Nigeria evolve into a better country but that this must happen
within the context of a country that remains independent, united and fair to
all citizens.
Secessionists, separatists and
terrorists should take note that Nigeria has in place legislations, legal
framework and institutions that will deal with acts of criminality; nothing in
international instruments suggests that Nigeria submits its sovereignty to
please aspiring colonial overlords and their foot soldiers.
We urge the civil populace to
continue to collaborate with the Nigerian Armed Forces as the guardians of the
country against current and future threats to the country’s sovereignty that
could come from both internal and external sources.
The coalition salute the Nigerian
Army for defending Nigeria’s democracy since the 1999 return to civil rule by
deferring to civil authorities which it respects at all times while
professionally countering threats posed by extremist and terror groups like
Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Boko
Haram.
It appealed to the Nigerian
military not to relent in going after terrorists that do not want Nigeria to
keep existing as a united country.
Also, all stakeholders in the
Nigerian project to always remember that patriotism demands everyone to be
forward looking in their approaches. To this end, a committee to evolve a new
narrative of greatness for Nigeria’s 100 years of independence was constituted
and terms of reference given for all Nigerians to work together as one family
in love and unity for the good of our country.
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