FORMER President of Court of Appeal Justice Mamman Nasir has urged Nigerian political gladiators to mellow down and not overheat the polity.
He advised them to be mindful of their speeches or actions to ensure peace and security as the 2019 general elections approach.
Addressing the “Roundtable on the escalating conflicts and security in the North”, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation yesterday in Kaduna, the elder statesman urged politicians to unite, irrespective of their political, religious or ethnic leanings and ensure that the interest of the people is uppermost in whatever they do.
Nasir said: “We appeal to all political leaders to cool down ahead of the 2019 election. Please forget all the selfish interests and negative defence; ensure positive approach to leadership. The politicians should come together; think of Nigeria, think of our children and our grandchildren.
“The people should choose whoever they want as their leader, but we should guarantee peaceful governance. This is our appeal to the politicians.”
The foundation’s Board of Trustees Chairman and former Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu called for strengthening of democracy and federalism.
He noted that restructuring needs to be looked into to see how Nigeria could benefit from it.
The former governor urged Nigerian leaders to be concerned and proactive about the state of security.
“We must understand our differences so that we can deal with them. Governing Nigeria as a unitary state can never work. Democracy and federalism must be further entrenched and strengthened. As northerners, we should be interested in restructuring often misconstrued as structure, devolution of power and fiscal federalism.
“We must bring equity, fairness, accountability, transparency to our politics and governance must be predictable and leadership by example to create confidence and hope in the society and the citizenry,” he said.
He highlighted Nigerian challenges as education, unemployment, Boko Haram, bandits, Libyan trained herdsmen, poverty and hunger.
The foundation’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Shettima Ali, lamented the growing insecurity in Nigeria, especially in Northern Nigeria. He mentioned the crisis in Plateau State, kidnapping and armed robbery on Kaduna-Abuja highway, killings in Sokoto State and renewed killings in Zamfara State.
“Communal herders/farmers and religious/tribal clashes remain frequent occurrences in Taraba, Adamawa and Benue states and it keeps erupting in parts of Kaduna State…
“A whole generation of youngsters expected to be the lifeblood of the North is heading towards destruction. The future of the North is on dire straits,” he lamented.