A time to heal

POLITICS in Nigeria is indeed a fun to follow.It’s sometimes hard to know exactly what drives our politicians.Some of those who pride themselves as leaders very often,by their utterances are dangerously polarising the country into seeming mutually exclusive enclaves of North and South.We have seen that much in recent times when politicians preach messages of hate rather than love,division rather than unity.

In their utterances,there’s no caution,no calculation,even when the tempers of these times demand tongue in check.Ideally,those in positions of authority ought to be guided always by necessities of leadership,responsibility of the office.A standard of civility in  the utterances breeds unity .Parochial sentiments and incendiary comments capable of inciting one section of the country against the other should not have a place in national discourse.

I want to believe President Jonathan is worried about the likely consequences of provocative comments of his fellow  politicians, even by his own aides and party members.This is vital  as we approach to the crucial elections next year.It’s in this regard that last Thursday’s All Nigeria Political Parties and Political Stakeholders Summit was held in Abuja.Jointly convened by the Office of the Naational Security Adviser and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs,the meeting highlighted some of the negative consequences of the politics of bitterness,rancour and mudslinging to the economic and social well-being of the nation.In the midst of the present pervasive insecurity across,not just in the North-East,but also in the South-East where police at the weekend uncovered bombs in a church premises in Owerri,the Imo State capital,the inter-party summit couldn’t have come at a better time.  And determined to halt the divisiveness that unguarded comments by politicians had racked us for so long, the president noted that such inflammatory language are capable of inciting violence,hatred,contempt or intimidation against parties or members along ethnic or gender lines. A crucial question to ask is:why do our politician often employ combustive language even when they are acutely aware of article 7 of the Political Parties’ Code of Conduct 2013 that warns political parties and their candidates against resorting to the use of provocative language capable of polarising the country along ethnic religious lines? Or are the politicians guilty of this unaware and ignorant of the consequences of their intemperate language? They are aware,just that they simply don’t care if Nigeria goes up in flames.

Few months ago,the Governor of Adamawa State displayed an  undisguised intemperance when he accused  Jonathan administration of committing genocide against the North. Nyako’s blistering allegations  were contained in his letter to the Northern Governors’ Forum,dated April 16,2014. In the letter,said the President,”was responsible for killing the Northern elites on January 15,1966.” He also faulted the strategy currently being used by the federal government to fight the insurgency in the North-East.He said such plan smacks of a premeditated plot orchestrated to decimate the North and its citizens. Describing Jonathan presidency as “confused” in its approach to tackling the insurgency. He likened the ongoing military operations against the insurgents the activities reminiscent of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler.

Nyako is not alone in such incendiary outbursts.Other politicians like Chief Edwin Clark,Gov.Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State,to mention just few,have allowed their anger to control them. No doubt,such unguarded utterances fester the embers of discord,bitterness and embolden the insurgents in the country.I agree with the President that the fundamentals and core imperatives of defending the country should not be politicized.According to the President,we must not give such opportunity.In the words of the President,”if our state enterprise falls,there will be no political party or politician that can stand it.But that’s what the politicians are doing,harvesting in crises.

It’s however  encouraging to hear the newly elected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC),Chief John Odigie Oyegun speak on the need to close ranks,forgive and forget perceived past wrongs in the interest of the unity and stability of the country.

It’s beyond question that Nigeria today is threatened by anti-democratic forces.As a result,it’s incumbent on the politicians and political parties to rise above selfish interest in defence and protection of the existence of one indivisible nation.    It’s sad that some of the governors who have shown indiscretion in their utterances  are hiding under the immunity clause under section 308 of the 1999 Constitution(as amended),not minding that the implicate are troubling enough.Perhaps these politicians have one aim in mind:to provoke one section of the country to take up arms against the Federal Government.    It is dangerous to continue to politicize the security challenge in the country or use it to achieve selfish,ethnic interest.

It is quite disgusting to see a governor or elder statesman who ought to see his office as a call to service by using it to foster unity as turned it into a divisive tool to cause disaffection.Public  expectation is that politicians and those that hold key public office should have the maturity and wisdom to talk responsibly and avoid statements that will not help the cause of nation-building.Put simply,those in public offices should be patriots,not traitors.

Nigeria has grown beyond primordial consideration which politicians like Nyako want to paint it with genocidal brush.Indeed,our country has come through thick and thin to where it is today,survived a civil war,fallen in and out of iron-fists military adventurists,stumbled back on to the path of democracy.Politicians should set the clock back by sowing seeds of discord.

All said,if anyone needs to hear some hard truth, President Jonathan,more than anyone else, should know that the months ahead of the next general election will definitely test his commitment on how he would govern this country if he is re-elected. Things cannot continue this way. Further missteps can be catastrophic.Many flashpoints are waiting for the slighest provocation to ignite them into a huge national problem.These danger signals which this government ignored from the outset produced  the monster now known as Boko Haram. It’s not unkind to say that Jonathan is now caught up between change and calamity.He needs support to realise the former and avoid the latter.