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•Asks Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu
By Wilfred Eya
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Abba Gana, has urged the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to start a process of national healing and reconciliation immediately after his inauguration on May 29.
Your former boss, OBJ, recently advised the incoming administration to pursue a process of national reconciliation; what is your take on that?
Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, my former boss when I was his Minister of FCT said a few days ago that Nigerians have never been more divided than now. I consider this very serious concern and assessment coming from a person who ruled Nigeria for 11 & half years. He was also the War commander who received the surrender documents from the Biafran soldiers thus bringing the civil war to an end after two and half years and about 2 million Nigerian lives lost.
He was referring his concerns and assessment to the coming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As the saying goes, time and tide wait for nobody. So, it would not be proper for the Bola Tinubu administration to totally ignore Obasanjo’s concerns and assessments because of his well-known background and international contacts and connections. The Buhari administration can still do something historic to leave a lasting legacy.
Reconciliation, at any stage is an urgent matter and both the Presidency and NASS should start looking at some of the issues involved and quickly handle them in the National interest and leave the rest to the coming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
But what manner of healing and reconciliation should the President-elect adopt?
There is one healing and reconciliation issue which the Buhari administration can work on immediately and get all the glory and goodwill, appreciation and gratitude. Making millions of people happy is an act which God the Almighty and All-Knowing, our Creator and Sustainer likes. This is why they say blessed are the peacemakers.
If God has given you the President, the power/authority to bring peace, happiness and unity to the people within one month or less, do it to the glory of God, our Creator and Sustainer.
For reasons we Nigerians do not know/cannot know, God the Almighty and All-Knowing gave the leadership of Nigeria to persons from the northern part of Nigeria in difficult times in Nigeria’s history.
Former President of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was my boss as his Minister of FCT recently said in a statement that Nigeria, our country, needs urgent healing and reconciliation. I completely agree with him. Something has gone terribly wrong with our service delivery system. There are millions of people hungry, angry, unemployed and unhappy for other reasons for comfort, in addition to matters of insecurity and rule of law and human rights.
While human beings die of untreated body wounds, countries degenerate of wounds without healing in the course of nation building process like injustice, unfairness, bad governance, oppression, extreme poverty, high unemployment, high illiteracy rate, gross income inequality and general insecurity etc.
Are you worried over the state of affairs in the country? What is the fastest way forward for repositioning the country?
Some of the trying periods in Nigeria when Northerners held leadership positions. When General Yakubu Gowon took over leadership as Head of state in July 1966, Chief Obafemi Awolowo was in Calabar prison sentenced for high treason. General Gowon released Awolowo and appointed him Federal Commissioner of Finance and made him Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council. Chief Obafemi Awolowo managed the whole of the Nigerian economy so well that Nigerian government did not borrow abroad to pay for the two and half years civil war. General Gowon paid glowing tributes to Awolowo when he willingly resigned from the Federal cabinet and even after. Also when late President Shehu Shagari took office as President of Nigeria, his Vice President was, Chief Alex Ekwueme, an Igbo from the Southeast.
At the beginning of Shagari’s Presidency, Chief Ojukwu was in exile abroad but Shagari pardoned Ojukwu, the former Biafran leader and he was received with lots of celebrations. He even joined the ruling party, the NPN and contested for the Senate seat but could not win because his area was a stronghold of Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NPP.
In fact the General Gowon government and President Shehu Shagari were really Igbo-friendly. Gen. Gowon ended the civil war of Nigerian unity by the words “No victor no vanquished”. All Igbo business and properties were returned to them except those in Rivers State because of some peculiar problems at the time to be sorted out.
Again when Gen. Sani Abacha as Head of State died was another difficult period in Nigeria’s history. Gen. Obasanjo was in detention in Yola prison. Gen. Yar’Adua was detained and died in Abakaliki prison. Sultan Dasuki was deposed and sent to Taraba State. So Nigeria was boiling at that time. NADECO leaders were in exile including Bola Tinubu, he was a great democrat. Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar took over. He released and pardoned Obasanjo in Yola prison. In that confusion of Abacha’s death, Abdulsalami took over and Abiola, the winner of June 12 Presidential election mysteriously died while in detention.
Those were really difficult times for Nigeria, our country. Therefore, nobody can deny that Nigeria urgently needs healing and reconciliation. All the healing and reconciliation: Gen. Gowon released Awolowo and appointed him Federal commissioner of Finance. Shehu Shagari pardoned Ojukwu, the Biafran leader who brought the war of Nigerian Unity, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar released Obasanjo, pardoned him and he became President. It’s now President Buhari’s turn to release and pardon Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader to go home to his family and attend to his medical needs. Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari, Gen. Gowon, late President Shehu Shagari and Gen. Abdulsalami all used their privileges as Head of State to extend pardon to the high-profile leaders in custody of government to ensure peace, unity and security in the country. Others and I beg you to do the same. Thank you, Your Excellency.
What is your advice to President Buhari who will leave office in a matter of weeks?
Finally, without any doubt, Nigeria is facing/passing through unusual/difficult times. Therefore, the President/his advisers should not obstruct time tested historical trends and metaphysical events beyond human control and understanding. And let him be guided by justice and fairness and actions which bring happiness to the vast majority of Nigerians, in his remaining less than seven weeks. Mr. President, compassion, empathy and human kindness are the need of the times.
