Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo
wrote an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday. This is the third
letter the elder statesman would address to Buhari since the president got into
office in 2015. In the last letter he issued in January 2018, Obasanjo had
asked Buhari not to run, listing what he considered as the weaknesses of the
president.
In the letter dated July 15,
Obasanjo said Boko Haram insurgency, herders-farmers crisis, banditry and
kidnapping are pushing Nigeria to a tipping point. He said many stakeholders
have spoken out and proferred solutions yet the problems are still on.
The former president advised
Buhari to not only pray but take decisive action. Below are some of the
highlights of the letter:
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
Obasanjo said going by the issues
confronting the country, Nigeria may have arrived the “elastic limit of peace”.
“But the issue I am addressing
here is very serious; it is the issue of life and death for all of us and for
our dear country, Nigeria. This issue can no longer be ignored, treated with
nonchalance, swept under the carpet or treated with cuddling glove. The issue
is hitting at the foundation of our existence as Nigerians and fast eroding the
root of our Nigerian community,” he said.
BOKO HARAM NOT YET DEFEATED
 |
| Obasanjo’s son |
On the Boko Haram insurgency,
Obasanjo said the recorded attacks “put lie” to the claim by the federal
government that it had defeated the insurgents. He explained that the use of
force is not enough to end the crisis.
In an attempt to drive home his
point, Obasanjo made reference to how Adeboye, his son, was shot by Boko Haram
insurgents. The sect members had opened fire on Adeboye, Obasanjo’s son who was
a colonel, at Mubi in Adamawa state.
“The issue is hitting at the
foundation of our existence as Nigerians and fast eroding the root of our
Nigerian community. I am very much worried and afraid that we are on the
precipice and dangerously reaching a tipping point where it may no longer be
possible to hold danger at bay. Without being immodest, as a Nigerian who still
bears the scar of the Nigerian civil war on my body and with a son who bears
the scar of fighting Boko Haram on his body, you can understand, I hope, why I
am so concerned,” he said.
IMPENDING DANGER
Obasanjo said if drastic measures
are not taken soon, Nigeria may be confronted with the “Rwanda-type genocide
that we did not believe could happen and yet it happened”.
“It happened to Yugoslavia not
too long ago. If we do not act now, one or all of these scenarios may happen.
We must pray and take effective actions at the same time. The initiative is in
the hands of the President of the nation, but he cannot do it alone.
“The issue is hitting at the
foundation of our existence as Nigerians and fast eroding the root of our
Nigerian community. I am very much worried and afraid that we are on the
precipice and dangerously reaching a tipping point where it may no longer be
possible to hold danger at bay.”
US, UK HAVE WADED IN
 |
| Stuart Symington, US ambassador to Nigeria |
He explained that the United
States and the United Kingdom have already called on Nigeria to “put our house
in order”.
“As a result, very onerous cloud
is gathering. And rain of destruction, violence, disaster and disunity can only
be the outcome. Nothing should be taken for granted, the clock is ticking with
the cacophony of dissatisfaction and disaffection everywhere in and outside the
country. The presidency and the congress in the US have signalled to us to put
our house in order. The House of Lords in the UK had debated the Nigerian
security situation. We must understand and appreciate the significance,
implication and likely consequences of such concerns and deliberations.”
BUHARI TAKES THE BLAME
Obasanjo added that the main
responsibility lies in the hands of the president, whom he said must also take
responsibility for failure.
“The initiative is in the hands
of the President of the nation, but he cannot do it alone,” he said.
“The President must be seen to be
addressing this issue with utmost seriousness and with maximum dispatch and
getting all hands on deck to help. If there is failure, the principal
responsibility will be that of the President and no one else. Blame game among
own forces must be avoided. It is debilitating and only helpful to our
adversary. We cannot dither anymore. It is time to confront this threat
headlong and in a manner that is holistic, inclusive and purposeful.”
DIALOGUE AS THE WAY OUT
Obasanjo suggested that dialogue
remains the best approach to be adopted in tackling the issues. He listed the
stakeholders to include traditional rulers, civil organisations, religious
leaders among others.
He wrote: “A couple of weeks ago
at a public lecture, I had said, among other things, that: In all these issues
of mobilisation for national unity, stability, security, cooperation,
development, growth and progress, there is no consensus. Like in the issue of
security, government should open up discussion, debate and dialogue as part of
consultation at different levels and the outcome of such deliberations should
be collated to form inputs into a national conference to come up with the
solution that will effectively deal with the issues and lead to rapid
development, growth and progress which will give us a wholesome society and
enhanced living standard and livelihood in an inclusive and shared society. It
will be a national programme. We need unity of purpose and nationally accepted
strategic roadmap that will not change with whims and caprices of any
government. It must be owned by the citizens, people’s policy and strategy
implemented by the government no matter its colour and leaning.”
‘IGNORE CRIES OF NIGERIANS AT THE
EXPENSE OF UNITY’
 |
Nnia Nwodo, president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, one of the groups which has made recommendations to the federal government on issues threatening the existence of the country
|
Obasanjo asked Buhari to listen
to the ideas of the people on how to handle the situation. He said the main
cause of the problem is the poor management or mismanagement of diversity
which, “is one of our greatest and most important assets”.
“With the death of Funke, Chief
Fasoranti’s daughter, some sympathetic Nigerian groups are saying “enough is
enough”. Prof. Anya, a distinguished Nigerian merit Laureate, has this to say
“We can no longer say with certainty that we have a nation”. Niger-Delta
leaders, South-Eastern leaders, Middle-Belt leaders and Northern Elders Forum
have not remained quiet. Different ordinary Nigerians at home and abroad are
calling for different measures to address or ameliorate the situation. All the
calls and cries can only continue to be ignored at the expense of Nigerian
unity, if not its continued existence.”
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