Excerpts from a speech which the president is expected to deliver on Sunday to commemorate Nigeria’s 57th independence anniversary reflect the president’s commitment to suppress agitations for the secession of some parts of the country.
Buhari in his speech condemned the calls for the division of the country and for civil war, saying persons behind such calls were taking undue advantage of the political freedom enjoyed under his administration.
“In the past two years, Nigeria has recorded appreciable gains in political freedom. A political party at the centre losing governorship elections, National Assembly seats and even state assemblies to opposition parties is new to Nigeria.
“Added to these is a complete freedom to associate, to hold and disseminate opinions. Such developments clearly attest to the country’s growing political development.
“Recent calls for re-structuring, quite proper in a legitimate debate, has let in highly irresponsible groups to call for dismemberment of the country. We cannot and we will not allow such advocacy.”
The president who narrated his participation in Nigeria’s civil war between 1967 and 1970 as a young army officer, described the consequences of war as ‘fearful destruction and untold suffering.’
“Those who are agitating for a rerun were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through,” he said.
The president’s remarks are understood to be veiled references to the agitations of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) which was recently declared a terrorist group by a Federal High Court at the request of the federal government.
Notwithstanding his strong rebuke for the secessionists, the president indicated his administration would continue to discuss with agitators in the Niger Delta region who have over time threatened to attack the nation’s oil facilities and on some occasion issued a quit notice to northerners and Yoruba residents in the region.
“Government is keeping up the momentum of dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta to keep the peace. We intend to address genuine grievances of the communities.
“Government is grateful to the responsible leadership of those communities and will pursue lasting peace in the Niger Delta,” Buhari said.
The president’s preference for dialogue in the Niger Delta will easily be understood by many. The region powers the economy through crude oil production which is the major source of revenue. Restiveness in the region is bound to lead to significant decline in oil production and national revenue as was experienced in the first year of the present administration.
Meanwhile, Punch reports that the president has promised to accelerate the progress of the country and intensify efforts to fix Nigeria’s problems as the nation moves towards the third year of his four-year term.
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