Sultan: Coming together of Nigerians no mistake of God AfDB votes $250 towards north-east reconstruction
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo has berated Nigeria’s elite saying they are reason why the country has been unable to build virile institutions,the social and political consensus upon which a just and orderly society can stand.
Osinbajo delivered the scathing rebuke yesterday while delivering his keynote address at the 2020 Leadership Conference and Awards held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja in memory of the founder of Leadership Newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda Isaiah.
The theme of the lecture was: ‘National and Regional Insecurity: The Role of Political and Non-Political Actors in Stabilisation and Concensus Building.’
He argued that the assumed failure Nigeria as a nation should not be premised on external vulnerabilities and its colonial past.
Rather, he pointed darts at the political class, saying they are drawing the country backward by putting selfish interest above collective interest.
“The chief weakness is a human one. Our elite. our political, economic, and religious elite. An elite that has so far proved to be socially irresponsible, one which either by selfishness, negligence or ignorance or a lack of self awareness has so far been unable to build the institutions and more importantly the social and political consensus upon which a just and orderly society can stand. And because dominance must be premised on some consensus, the elite depend on a dubious one, promotion of tribal and religious fault lines for legitimacy,” Osinbajo said.
He lamented that on a nationwide and regionwide scale, the nation is seeing challenges to national order driven by a profound and pervasive sense of exclusion and marginalisation.
The VP said: “So the attacks we see on law and order are themselves symptomatic and they are driven by emergent critiques of the fabric of order itself. These critiques are manifesting as insurrections and insurgencies along various axes of identity.
These rejections of formal institutions may be driven by conceptions of religious obligations, ethnic identity and generational antipathies but that is only superficial , what they have in common is that they are patterns of solidarity of those who have no stake in an orderly society because such a society offers them nothing , and so are in fundamental, violent and implacable opposition to a system that appears to favour only a few.
He said the recognition that the system is not working optimally for citizens should inspire a broad-based movement for reform that works to recalibrate the present order and attune it more to the aspirations of the society”.
He proposed consensus building that will create an acceptable ‘middle ground’ among contesting options to the resolution of issues as well as mediating elite competition and conflict.
“It is understandable for discontent to emerge and inspire agitation. In a democracy, agitation – the act of making our voices heard in respect of our concerns – is entirely legitimate.
“What is profoundly problematic is when we employ destructive and illicit means in pursuing agitation. It is also understandable that we may find that some of these agitations resonate with us. We may consider them legitimate causes and identify with them as such.
“However, the temptation is that our sympathy with legitimate causes blinds us to the destructive and illegitimate means employed by those that pursue these causes. This is a temptation that we must resist,” he said.
He appealed that discontent with the system should be channeled through constitutionally-guaranteed rights to vote, to associate, to protest and to express views.
Osinbajo said the aim of national conversations should be to promote a consensus for progress rather than to promote discord and disharmony. “Our national union was forged through dialogue and negotiation as our founding fathers traded compromises in the process of making our country.
“Over the years, our union has been renewed through dialogue. We must be committed to continuing this tradition of renewing our nation through the tried and trusted means of conciliation, compromise and consensus”.
He stressed that discernment requires all Nigerians to recognise the agents of anomie and hatred and to call them by their proper names even when they appear to speak the same language or seem to share similar religious orientation.
He appealed for the promotion of civilized values and upholding of a culture of life and repudiation of violence in any guise even by those who claim to be using it in response to violence.
He said the major task before the elite is to renew social contract, create more inclusive institutions, grow the economy and generate opportunities for its population.
“The highest office and duty of the elite is sacrifice, sacrifice, and more sacrifice. It means that we must be prepared to tell our constituencies the truth even if it hurts our political fortunes or our popularity.
“We must be able to say to the young men and women who say secession is the only way or that we should break up into little nations that that is the way of extinction not development. “We must as religious leaders be able to tell our adherents that people,of other religions are not their enemies, they are brothers and sisters and that they must not allow those who will benefit by division and strife to tell them differently.
We have received much from Nigeria. It is only right that we adopt a sensibility that guides us in giving back to this country that has empowered us so much and to invest in it in ways that offer returns broader than just our own profit,” Osinbajo said.
Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III has said the coming together of Nigerians was not
a mistake by God.
Abubakar, who was the Chairman of the occasion, urged Nigerians to accept their
religious differences and that they are from same creator.
“So many of us have become so close to one another that we wonder if we are to go our different one million ways, how do we survival? “God can never and will never make mistake. What he has done must be obeyed. So bringing us together as Nigerians is not a mistake. And that is what God wanted. If he had wanted anything else he would do it in no time.
“We have to accept our religious belief as good Christians, as good Muslims, as bad Christians and as bad Muslims. We all know we are from one source and from one creator,” the Sultan said.
He stressed the importance of closing ranks and helping one another, saying:”Religion is between you and almighty God. You do not worship God for me because when you die you will answer for your deeds. So those who are causing hatred, division through religion will definitely fail because we will not bow to their atrocities and we will not give in”.
The head of the Nigerian Muslim community assured that religious leaders will continue to work for the betterment of the country, urging Nigerians to rise up together as one people to face the challenges of insecurity.
“No one person can do it alone. President Muhammadu Buhari cannot do it alone. In the next couple of years we will be driving with our eyes closed from Kaduna to Abuja with no portholes, from Kaduna to Sokoto with very clear road. That is our prayers in the next few weeks, few months, and few years. By the grace of Allah, we will get to that level,”.
Meanwhile the President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has said the bank will spend $250 million on Nigeria in support of the North-east reconstruction.
Akinwumi, who spoke on the topic, “African Economic Response to Insecurity, Stability and Consensus Building” while receiving the person of the Year 2020 Leadership Award in Abuja yesterday, said Nigeria must recognize the strong link between security, investment, growth, development and resolve to work in harmony and managing diversity for strength.
He said the bank is developing security index investment bonds to help countries and regional economic communities to mobilize resources to tackle these challenges.
According to him, the security index investment funds will raise funds on the global capital markets to support countries to upgrade their security architecture, rebuild damaged infrastructure in conflict affected areas, rebuild social infrastructure, especially schools, hospitals, water and sanitation and protect especially zones where there are strategic investments.
Akinwumi added that the bank had provided $250 million to Nigeria in support of the North-east Reconstruction and Development through the inclusive basic services delivery project to help in restoring lost livelihoods and building resilience for conflict.
