A security expert Efe Wanagor has said that Nigerians should be united and avoid the cracks currently existing in the country.
He said that the people of the country should see themselves as one and avoid the cracks but alleged the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari magnified the cracks.
He said that there should be inclusive governance to avoid the cracks existing in the country.
He also said there was need for a sense of national direction saying Nigerians should speak about the way to go forward.
Wanagor said: “Since independence till date we have not really done anything towards national integration, just lip service, a few things like NYSC that came after the Civil War (but) nothing in it to actually show that we are bound together”.
He added: “When Sharia was introduced in the twelve states of the north during Obasanjo’s era it further alienated other parts of the country. Now you have a situation where ethnic identity of every part is being projected so you need a president with his team who is able to call everybody to the table and say how do we move forward and you (can) see give and take”.
He said that the issue of how Nigerians want to live together should be addressed saying that there were cracks among the people.
The security expert challenged influential Nigerians to speak out over the challenges saying that they should not remain quiet in the face of the challenge.
He also said that the coming together of people in one part of the country should not create fear in people in other parts of the country.
Wanagor said that Nigeria was not great because of greed, short-sightedness and individual avarice.
He said that the issue of nomadic cattle rearing causes security crisis and appealed to the president to address the country over its current challenges.
He also said that the federal government should organize a national convention to address the discordant tunes and issues of marginalization.
He said the federal government should reach out to political stakeholders across the country to chart a way forward and address the current challenges.
He also said that the government should have political will to carry out recommendations from any national convention and restore confidence in Nigerians.
He said that opportunity should be given to Nigerians to air their grievances saying that the opportunity alone would douse tensions in the country.
The security expert aired his views on Nigeria Info 92.3, Port-Harcourt.
He also said that open grazing of cattle by herdsmen was unacceptable.
Southern governors at the end of a meeting in Delta State recently banned open grazing in the southern part of the country. They said that activities of bandits and herdsmen presented security challenge to the region and banned the open grazing of cattle in southern Nigeria.
They said that they took the decision to avoid conflict.
The governors also asked for restructuring and review of the revenue formula and asked the President to address the nation in the face of challenges.
They also called on the president to convoke national convention to look at the issues prevalent in the country.
