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How Buhari can stabilise Nigeria

By . • Pius Abioje, University of Ilorin.
31 July 2015   |   2:38 am
SIR: President Muhammadu Buhari at his presidential inauguration address, started praising the violent and bloody jihad of Uthman danFodio as a “great civilisation”.
Buhari

Buhari

SIR: President Muhammadu Buhari at his presidential inauguration address, started praising the violent and bloody jihad of Uthman danFodio as a “great civilisation”.

He immediately ordered the Army to reposition itself to confront Boko Haram. He followed that up by seeking neighbouring and other international support against Boko Haram. Yet, nothing has stopped Boko Haram’s suicide bombings.

His preoccupations have rather hardened Boko Haram, as predicted by Ọrunmila. For him to stabilise Nigeria, he has to do a number of things.

One, seek peace with Boko Haram, and resolve to uphold Nigeria’s constitution on state secularity, which means that Nigeria has no official religion, and so, the Caliphate, emirates, Archdioceses, dioceses, shrines, etc. must operate as private institutions, to which people adhere based on personal conviction and volition.

Trying to force people to practise their Islam, Christianity, African Traditional Religion, or any other religion in one way or another violates human freedom and Nigeria’s constitution. Take the case in which some governors had money to celebrate religious festivals but couldn’t pay workers’ salaries and allowances.

Secondly, political order requires that we constitutionalise rotational presidency, in line with our federal character policy, which aims at national equity, to eliminate a feeling of marginalisation. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has done well fielding somebody from the northwest, but stability requires a constitutional zeal of a wholesome practice. Otherwise, what Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan did, taking undue advantage of the demise of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to plot his own election as Nigeria’s elected President, and plunging the nation into deeper confusion in 2011 will keep repeating itself, as in 1966 and 1993. Give Nigeria respite. Human beings can hardly be disciplined without rules and regulations

Buhari is now made to bail out visionless and plan-less rulers! Secondly, political order requires that we constitutionalise rotational presidency, in line with our federal character policy, which aims at national equity, to eliminate a feeling of marginalisation.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has done well fielding somebody from the northwest, but stability requires a constitutional zeal of a wholesome practice.

Otherwise, what Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan did, taking undue advantage of the demise of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to plot his own election as Nigeria’s elected President, and plunging the nation into deeper confusion in 2011 will keep repeating itself, as in 1966 and 1993.

Give Nigeria respite. Human beings can hardly be disciplined without rules and regulations. Thirdly, the president would make history if under his reign the electoral commission can be made to be constitutionally free from the authority of a partisan President

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