Posted by BY MATTHIAS NWOGU, Umuahia on
Frontline politician and former Minister of Communication, Dr. Ibrahim Tahir, has dismissed the notion that Nigeria is a failed state, but admitted that it is a problem state grappling with numerous shortcomings.
Frontline politician and former Minister of Communication, Dr. Ibrahim Tahir, has dismissed the notion that Nigeria is a failed state, but admitted that it is a problem state grappling with numerous shortcomings.
He said that rather than tag Nigeria a failure, the country was indeed a hero, as there were few countries that have survived the number of internal crises it has passed through without breaking up or engaging in another civil war.
Speaking in Umuahia, he said that what Nigeria needs is time and self correction to overcome its socio-economic and technological problems.
Stressing that the numerous ethnic, religious and sectional upheavals that the nation has passed through since after the civil war were enough to break any country, but she has survivied because many Nigerians, despite these misgivings, sincerely believe in a united Nigeria.
He said that it was unfortunate that some elderly statesmen who had strongly believed in the unity of Nigeria before were now calling for its disintegration through negotiated dissolution.
"I want to say that there is no peaceful way of dissolving a nation. There is nothing like negotiated severance, it does not exist", Tahir stressed.
Citing Pakistan as one of such countries, he said that from time to time, they still have skirmishes with the country where she negotiated severance.
Taking a stand for a united democratic Nigeria, he said, "Once you remove the umbrella Nigeria, what would follow would be continuous balkanization of the excised states and further agitations, some of which might be through violence.
He buttressed his argument with the creation of states and local governments in the countries where agitation for new ones have continued unabated.
Dr. Tahir, who was fielding questions arising from his lecture titled ‘The Importance of Co-ordination among institutions involved in Nigerian elections," at the just ended Forum of the State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) in Umuahia on Thursday said that the best thing for Nigeria was to stay together, learn from its mistakes and make corrections.
The Second Republic Minister, who said he voluntarily "went underground for some time" advised that there must be rapid economic development in the country if she must enjoy lasting peace.
Tahir, who also faulted those who were clamouring for true democracy based on classical definition, said each country has its own peculiarities as according to him, the federating states in the United States did not emerge the same way as those of Nigeria and cannot be expected to practice identical federal system.
He, however said he strongly believed in decentralization, stressing that the Federal Government should have no business running primary schools that should belong to the local government.