A former secretary general of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr Anthony Sani has said the solution to the myriad of challenges confronting the country rests in “ceaseless hard work by purposeful leadership and the led.”
He spoke at the weekend against the backdrop of calls by some individuals and groups for a realistic political approach in tackling the crises bedeviling the country.
He restated that the current predicament of the country was not beyond redemption but tasked Nigerians on a common spirit to overcome the challenges.
He stated: “When you talk about political solution to insecurity, you assume the terrorists, however defined, have political agenda. But, the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers are of different groups with no central command.
“For examples, we have insurgents in North East, bandits and kidnappers in North-West, farmers and herders clashes in North Central, IPOB in South-East and militant activism and oil theft in South South. I hear kidnapping has become common in South West now.
“It would therefore be hard to discuss with disparate groups which have no central command and control.
“The solution is for Nigerians to know that order, justice, liberty, peace and prosperity for all can prevail only through ceaseless hard work by purposeful leadership and the led.
“That is to say, Nigerians should come together and unleash their synergy against collective challenges. This is because it is possible to make the most of our God given diversity by working hard to overcome what divide the people. Our situation is not beyond redemption.”
Sani noted that the country could not overcome the challenges overnight as some of the problems had festered and spread over time.
He recalled: “I have said it over and over again that there is swarm of locust across the land and we seem not to know the pests. As a result, we have not been able to develop the appropriate pesticides.
You would recall that kidnapping and armed robbery started in the South and exported to the North and now transcend regional boundaries.
“But this is an odd thing to say especially when regard is paid to the fact that Nigeria can be likened to a big river being fed by tributaries. And when one tributary is poisoned, the whole river is contaminated.”
“There are those who believe the underlying causes of insecurity are poverty, unemployment and ignorance. To overcome such is not a day’s job.”
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