Former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared on Tuesday that the factors that triggered Nigeria’s civil war were still active, noting that the country still faces the potential of yet another war. Receiving some documents and eyewitness accounts on the ‘Asaba Massacre’ from Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, the former president noted that everything possible must be done to avoid a recurrence. Obasanjo, who said he could not provide a detailed account of the Asaba incident as it was under the command of his former boss, the late former Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, noted that General Yakubu Gowon had publicly acknowledged and apologised for the excesses of the war, adding that the Asaba incident was not ordered. Describing the Nigerian civil war as “one civil war too many,” the former president declared: “What went wrong in the past is essential to preventing a repeat. We must do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence”.
Some of the reasons highlighted by Obasanjo as main drivers behind the war included recurring ethnic distrust caused by suspicion and unresolved trauma from the first military coup, among other unresolved issues that plagued the country. The danger of disinformation and ceaseless propaganda of false narratives that fueled the war is being actively used by insurgents and other non-state actors in challenging the sovereignty of the Nigerian government.
Hanging Threats
The spiking levels of insecurity, especially in the North, ahead of the general elections next year, are a repeated spectacle and have left many communities decimated and thousands of people killed amid a humanitarian crisis that has become the cynosure of a global barbarian. Despite claims of Boko Haram’s ‘technical defeat’, the Islamic group is still leaving footprints of deadly attacks resulting in avoidable horrifying murders on its trail. These bloodthirsty criminals have become lethal weapons for undermining the nation.
There’s every reason to agree with Obasanjo that the major drivers of the Civil War are still with us, staring us in the face with frightening uncertainty, even on a larger scale. Specifically, the absence of safety and the feeling by some ethnic groups that they are not being carried along in the country are not being carried along in the scheme of things remains a potential threat. Some of the issues that have undermined Nigeria’s existence as a united country differ from one part of the country to the other. In the North, especially the North-east, the emergence of Boko Haram has brought the demand for religious ideology as a basis for seeking to create an Islamic State. In the South-south zone, demands for resource control by militant elements remain central behind their agitations.
In the North-central and North-west zones, bandits and other criminals have enthroned a culture of widespread decimation of communities and mass killings of peace-loving citizens who have fled their ancestral homes to the caves and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps for refuge. In the South, especially the South-east, the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) is still pursuing the dream of seceding from Nigeria. That IPOB has survived for long, with its military arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), is reflective of the desire by the Igbos to be spared from the burden of Nigeria. Nearly 66 years after independence, Nigerians are yet to be convinced of the need to unite and build a nation with so much potential, even as it remains Africa’s sleeping giant.
Corrupt Elite
More than in the past, many groups are now gradually losing faith in the Nigerian project. The wave of insecurity and the rendering of the country as “God’s creation in the impossibility”, as maintained by the late Dele Giwa, expose the underbelly of corruption and self-interest. Instead of the ruling elite rising to the occasion to imbibe selflessness to combat the viruses of corruption ripping across the country, their selfishness remains the main driver of their political aspirations. In advancing their dreams, members of the ruling elite have relegated national service to a self-serving expedition.
To the ruling elite, maintaining their political status is more important than risking it for national survival. Political leaders see Nigeria more as a farm created to serve them with the good things of life. With revenue accruing to the country, these leaders send their children to Europe and the United States of America, among other developed countries, to be trained in environments free of teachers’ strikes and decaying infrastructure. Unlike nations that have discovered their visions, citizens remain enmeshed in a rancorous demand for a roadmap to nationhood, lamenting the present and wishing for the past to return.
Not Again!
Many, including yours sincerely, believe that more is to be gained from being united than from being swallowed in the hole of a break-up. Nigeria is a global symbol of the challenge of welding together a nation of over 300 ethnic groups. The last 66 years of political freedom may have been challenging, but the prospects of evolving a country described as the giant of Africa must not be diminished by the inanities of short-sighted political leaders. More than this, there must be a conscious effort by Nigerians to shift the emphasis from building a united country to building personal wealth to gain political influence.
This country should serve as a platform for accommodating all ethnic nationalities. Those who think Nigeria can survive as a disintegrated country are simply being simplistic. More importantly, the country should be restructured to give federating stronger roles in determining the living conditions of their people. We must never resort to a breakup just to avoid present challenges. Amid crippling trials that test our unity, all hands must be on deck to de-emphasise the advantage of our breakup in favour of the beauty of our togetherness. Patriotic leadership and the advantages of our diversity must remain in focus to avoid disintegration.
