As Nigeria marks her 57th Independence anniversary, former
Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, has urged all
Nigerians to always embrace peace and dialogue as they are antidotes for
conflict resolution.
He said even though the nation was bedeviled with senseless
agitations and conflicts, “there was need for careful appraisal of our journey
to nationhood.”
“The resilience of armed forces of Nigeria to curtailed
secessionist and agitations throughout our nation’s post independence has
reduced tensions and unnecessary disruption of lives and property,” he said.
General Babangida, opined that: “Peace remains the best
option in resolving conflicts and agitations in the country, adding that recent
conflicts and agitations, chanting slogan of war and hate speeches are
derailing the nation’s development and unity.
“As an active participant in the Civil War and a retired
military officer, with the hard lesson learnt, I will never be tired on calling
for the oneness and unity of our great nation. We will forever be ready to
sacrifice for a united and prosperous Nigeria whenever the need arises
“During our tenure in government we deliberately formulated
policies, programmes, projects and even the creation of states to further
weaken unwholesome agitations for secession and promote mutual and peaceful
coexistence devoid of ethnic, religious and regional discriminations.”
He said government at all levels should continue to
encourage mutual tolerance and protect the life of every Nigerian who should
feel at home anywhere they find themselves in the country.
IBB urged Nigerians to pray and work towards peace and
progress of the nation. He advised those beating the war drum through hate
speeches to sheathe their swords and support the government in addressing
security and economic challenges.
He said: “We should support the government in addressing the
security and economic challenges as I urge Nigerians to extend their gestures
with a hand of fellowship to one another and assists those affected by natural
disasters, conflicts and communal clashes that are presently confined at
various Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs).”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com