#IgboMustGo campaign: Stop fanning embers of ethnic war, Gen Bajowa warns

Retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, Oluwaseun Bajowa, have accused the crusaders of the “Igbo Must Go” campaign of fanning the embers of war and promoting civil strife in Nigeria.

Bajowa, who made this statement on Monday in an open letter made available to newsmen, warned the promoters not to destabilize the unity and peace of the country under the guise of protesting against bad governance.

He stated that the people of Nigeria have been living together with no significant issues among themselves.

Despite the challenges, citizens continue to find ways to remain united, and he pleaded with Nigerians “to give peace a chance, as Nigeria’s economy will rise again.”

He said, “The violent dimension that the protest assumed in some parts of the country, especially the North, and the ethnic innuendos that it generated, particularly the ‘Igbo Must Go’ campaign said to have been spearheaded by some unscrupulous, faceless groups in Lagos, is alarming.

“I urge 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 threaten the unity and peace of this great nation, for which many paid the supreme sacrifice and for which some of us dedicated the prime of our lives.”

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According to him, “My position is not to downplay the enormity of the economic hardship now being faced by ordinary citizens, but to encourage us to stand strong together as one indivisible nation throughout this trying period and accept it as a passing phase in our nation’s history.

“Without sounding political, I believe that our elder statesmen and leaders across the board should seize the opportunity of a time like this to send messages 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 fact, no one can predict the outcome of any war, as no persons or groups have a monopoly on violence!

“Nigeria must avoid falling into the traps of our foreign and domestic enemies by all means possible.

“Let us learn from the recent experience of a fellow African country, Libya, a once prosperous model African economy that allowed themselves 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 challenges.

“It has pleased Almighty God that He has positioned Nigeria as the leading light of the Black race! We are also the potential light of the whole world, and we must do everything possible to keep the light of this great nation shining!

“Therefore, 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, as losing hope will lead us to frustration.

“Let it be known 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 populations in an import-dependent economy.

“While we salute the courage, determination, and sincerity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team to turn around the economic fortune of our country and change the ‘consumption only’ mindset of our people permanently, we appeal to Mr. President to devise more means of alleviating the plight of the most vulnerable Nigerians in particular.

“This is against the background that there are always avenues to perform better, despite the fact that in the history of mankind, no government anywhere in the world has been acknowledged to have done enough for the people.

“Mr. President should consider an urgent review of the ‘immunity’ and ‘impunity’ among elected and appointed office holders at federal, state, and local government levels.

“In so doing, Mr. President should do whatever he can to bring sanity to governance by enforcing severe consequences as a deterrent for the excesses of all top government functionaries.

“The President should do whatever he can to reduce the cost of governance drastically to reflect the true state of our economy.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE