By Dr Raphael Ogar Oko
The unfolding of events in our nation points to the fact that we are gradually watching the process leading to the end of Nigeria. As the elected President of Nigeria, you should act now and save this nation. We are confronted by all kinds of challenges but the sentiments
fueling them revolve around ethnicity and religion with corruption as an extension.
Your Excellency, you have to risk your life and ensure that the religious misunderstanding is brought to an end. We need to discuss our religious differences in a sustainable manner and ask ourselves some hard questions and answer them. Islam and Christianity are not against each other but a few Muslims and Christians in some parts of the country seem to be fueling unfounded differences. In most families in the South West, Muslims and Christians are living together in one roof and no church or mosque has been bombed due to different belief.
But, we are tired of such situation in some parts of Northern Nigeria.
Your Excellency, the time has come to end the so called non-existent North and South, East and West in Nigeria. What is referred to as Northern Nigeria is not in the North and same is applicable to Eastern Nigeria not in the East. The Western Nigeria is not in the West. We have been deceived with these falsehood for too long.
Your Excellency, you should bring the groups inspiring division to an end now. We do not need Northern Governors Forum, Southern Governors Forum, South West Governors Forum, South East and South South Governors Forum. They add no value to our common future. If the
Governors cannot work as Governors of their states, they should step aside now. What kind of geography shows that Benue State is in the North or that Imo State is in the East and Lagos is in the West? Who taught this falsehood. If you were a teacher, please, change this lesson now.
I believe that you have to take a bold step and ask the security chiefs to unmask the masquerades of Boko Haram and other militant groups and their drummers now. The time to restructure Nigeria beyond North and South has come. Take a bold step as Gowon did to win the civil war and restructure Nigeria into 12 zones (bringing three states connected to each other to form a zone) and never operate Nigeria with North, East and West as federating units. Truly regionalize Nigeria in a geographical sense and have each region with three zones to make up the 12 new zones. Let the North (from Borno down to Kano and to Sokoto) have three zones, and the West (from Kebbi to Oyo) have three zones and same in the East (from Benue/Taraba to Borno) as well as the South having three zones and a central Nigeria for all. You need to dismantle several structures fueling tribalism if we must move Nigeria forward.
Your Excellency, you have just between now and 2015 and possibly 2019 to serve as President of Nigeria. It is better to act decisively now and save the nation than to want to impress all the interest groups who have become the kingmakers with you as our king. One fundamental
lesson is that kingmakers eventually must be led by the king and not the king following those who made him king. You are the President today and it does not matter who helped to make you the President. You have to act now and save us all.
Our countrymen and women should not be subjected to this situation where they sleep with both eyes open, praying with their lips, but their hearts are in fears. I pray that you consider acting now and now as enough is already more than enough.
