Gen.Bajowa addresses Nigerians, stresses need to give peace a chance as he maintains “economy will rise again.”
By Steve Ovirih.
Gen.Olu Bajowa ( Rtd), a first generation top brass General of The Nigerian Army has penned an open letter to Nigerians in the aftermath of #endbadgovernance# ‘ ten days of rage’ protest embarked on by some group of Nigerians to condemn both hunger and hardship in the economy. In the open letter titled ‘Give Peace a Chance ! Nigeria’s economy will rise again! ‘, the Jagunmolu of Ikaleland and Ojagbulegun from The Source said, ” I deem it fit and most appropriate to begin this ” Open Love Letter” to you, fellow Nigerians by quoting the words of President Ronald Reagan of the United States thus ‘ Peace is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.’
Gen. Bajowa, who said the open letter was coming on the heels of the recent Ten Day Nationwide protest from 1st to 10th August tagged Days of Rage, condemned the violent dimension that the protest eventually assumed in some parts of the country especially the North and the ethnic inuendos that it generated , vis- a- vis ‘ the Igbo must go’ campaign which was spearheaded by some unscrupulous , faceless groups in Lagos. He also disapproved of the secessionist outburst that was credited to a highly revered intellectual from the north and a counter press release by an Elder Stateman from the South East.
The General maintained, “with the help of hindsight and speaking as a retired first generation General of the Nigerian Army, I commend the Military High Command and the security services for a job well-done.
“I also salute the professional standards Nigerian Army exhibited in the management of the early warning signals and how they prevented Nigeria from sliding into anarchy by resisting the call by some unpatriotic people for a regime change through undemocratic means.
” May I therefore appeal to all Nigerians across social , political , religious , tribal and ethnic divides to consider the grave implications of making sensitive statements that tend to fan the embers of war and also threaten the unity and peace of this great nation for which many had paid the supreme sacrifice and also for which some of us dedicated the prime of our lives.”
While stating that his position was not in anyway an attempt to downplay the enormity of the economic hardship being faced by Nigerians, Gen. Olu Bajowa said he is encouraging Nigerians to stand strong together as one indivisible nation throughout this trying period and accept it as nothing but sacrifice for a passing phase in the nation’s history.
He noted, ” Without sounding political , I believe that our elder statesmen and leaders across board should seize the opportunity of a time like this to send message of hope to our people instead of spreading hopelessness and despair.
“Perhaps we need to remind those few Nigerians who delight in singing the songs of war that they are only being driven by ignorance and myopic sentiment because in actual fact , no one can predict the outcome of any war because no persons or groups have the monopoly of violence!”
Gen.Bajowa therefore advised Nigerians to avoid falling into the traps of the nation’s foreign and domestic enemies by all means possible, citing the instance of Libya, a once prosperous model African economy, which allowed itself to be lured into an avoidable war. ” Let Nigerians protect Nigeria and let those who gleefully brandished the flags of some foreign countries during the recent protest be told that no country loves Nigeria more than we Nigerians and no country is free from one form of challenge or the other,” Gen.Bajowa admonished.
Going further , he noted ” to avoid crises and chaos , we the people of Nigeria must love ourselves and give hope a chance so that peace can reign. We cannot afford to lose hope because losing hope will lead us to frustration. Therefore, the heart of my message in this Open Love Letter is to assure we give peace a chance because undoubtedly, Nigeria’s economy will rise again!”
Waxing scriptural, the member of The Anglican Communion, while quoting from The Book of Job Chapter 14 verses 7 to 9 harped on the need to keep hope alive among Nigerians , noting that even when a tree is cut down, there is still hope for it as trees cut down still sprout again and when it sprouts , it florishes.
” I was born and brought up during the colonial era. I am proud to be a retired military officer who served in the Nigerian Army from 1960 to 1980 and who, as a young officer at that time put my life on the line and fought to defend the unity of this country at the famous Ore Battle in the then Mid west sector where we successfully ended the ambitious advance of the Biafra Army , in their bid to capture the Western Region , during the civil war.
” I have a deep appreciation for the sacrifice of those patriotic Nigerians dead or alive , who fought so hard to keep Nigeria one and remained together till today.
” I find it most disheartening to see some Nigerians undermining the unity and peace of Nigerian in our lifetime. Let it be told that Nigeria’s economic challenges did not start today. It is unfortunate that despite being blessed with the most active youth population in the world, we have one of the most unproductive population of import dependent economy. It doesn’t take rocket science to know that the way to improve the value of the Naira is to reduce import and increase export. Given the resilience of the Nigerian spirit , I am of the opinion that we can turn the present hardship into prosperity , if we commit ourselves to it.”
Gen. Bajowa , aside saluting the courage , determination and sincerity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team to turning around the economy for the better and changing the mindset of a consumption only economy of Nigerians, he appealed to the President to devise more means of alleviating the plight of the most vulnerable Nigerians . He called on President Tinubu to consider an urgent review of both immunity and impunity among elected and appointed office holders at federal, states and local government levels. ” In so doing, Mr. President should do whatever he can to bring sanity to governance by enforcing severe consequences as deterrent.
” The President should do whatever he can to reduce the cost of governance drastically to reflect the true state of the economy,” Gen.Bajowa counselled.
Bajowa also noted that President of Nigeria may also consider the pros and cons of the constitutional review proposed by the Patriotic Group and act accordingly in the best interest of the country. He noted, ” Nigeria deserves to be at peace and we must all agree and recognize the fact that peace is the precursor to prosperity . It is in this light that the modern concept of peace is often defined as the presence of justice , equity and other conditions that create social harmony , thus prevent situations of violence that may result in social or armed conflict.”
On the movement to end bad governance, Gen. Bajowa said it is only agreeable to him if it is a constructive or a non violent idea. “The objective should be to pressurize our leaders to deliver the dividends of Democracy to our people . But I disagree with giving the campaign any political , religious, ethnic or treasonous coloration,” Gen. Bajowa insisted.
He advised leaders of End bad governance campaign to come out clean as a pressure group and take their campaign to the three tiers of government , adding that in our bid to lay claim to sincerity in the campaign for good governance all leaders at all the levels of government and political administration must be held accountable.
” I therefore appeal to all Nigerians to sheathe their sword and forsake all forms of bigotry and work together for the unity , peace and prosperity of Nigeria. I am of the strong conviction that if we give peace a chance , Nigeria’s economy will rise again,” Prince (Dr) Gen.Olu Bajowa reiterated.
