IT was again time for retrospection on Nigeria’s journey to nationhood last Sunday at the 18th Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Day and 110th posthumous birthday anniversary with President Goodluck Jonathan leading other prominent Nigerians to call for peace, tolerance and unity among the citizenry in the interest of the country. At the event, which held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, and organised by Ndi-Igbo Cultural Society of Nigeria (NCSN) led by Chief Udo Udeogaranya, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon said it was time for Nigerians, “to reflect on the lives of our forefathers as we seek to hasten the dawn of a new era in our nation.” President Jonathan, who was represented at the event by his Special Adviser on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, extolled the late Azikiwe’s virtues, noting that, “until his death, Zik was a strong believer in one Nigeria and a resurgent Africa.” He said: “Today’s Nigeria is in dire need of more Azikiwes. Instead of political violence and intolerance, Dr. Azikiwe taught us to do all our political engagements with the highest sense of tolerance, accommodation, political sagacity and love for one another. “We believe that a failed state is a danger to both the ruling and opposition parties. That is why we have created an enabling environment for all political strands and persuasions to co-exist without hindrance. That is also why we have remained committed to free and fair elections, freedom in all its ramifications and the rule of law. In its strategic position, the opposition party should not be involved in anything that would destabilise the state it wants to lead. Instead, the opposition should exercise its obligation to the nation through constructive criticisms and support in matters of state survival.” Jonathan urged politicians in the country to emulate the late Azikiwe’s rare tenets of “unity not disintegration, tolerance and accommodation not confrontation, consciousness not recklessness, peace not violence, ideas and issues not individuals and persons, humility not pride and dialogue not hostility” as the 2015 elections approach. He added: “Our Transformation Agenda is in agreement with Dr. Azikiwe’s belief and faith in the unity and indivisibility of Nigeria. A united progressive Nigeria is better than insufficient fragmented entities. Within the same frame of mind, we are resolved to win the war on the Boko Haram insurgency, which threatens our collective existence as a people. The indiscriminate maiming and killing of innocent citizens and the wanton destruction by the sect are senseless and satanic. We will not relent in our determination to protect our fellow citizens and the sovereignty and unity of our fatherland.” Gowon, who presented the keynote address at the event, carpeted Nigerian politicians for lack of vision and ideology and called for change. He said: “Today, we celebrate Zik who, at a very young age, locked firmly to his vision of a strong, united nation. The famous Zikist Movement that was founded on his leadership philosophy helped to signpost the ideals of a people who wanted to break the yoke of servitude imposed upon them by the colonial masters. Zikism was largely a philosophy built on peace, yet so strong in its determination to achieve a desired end, which was independence for Nigeria and the institution of democratic ideals that would hasten the development of our nation and promote the well being of our people. The quality of followership that Zik gathered across the nation bore eloquent testimony to the fact that he was a true national figure – born in the North, Eastern by ancestry and Western by politics. “It was not until after independence that fault lines began to appear across ideological platforms in Nigeria. This was when ethnicism became a card that politicians waved without let and without regard to the unity of purpose and people that won us independence. The extent to which things had degenerated manifested in the carpet-crossing saga of the era. This has not abated, even in Nigeria of 2014. Today, we have politicians who have become rebels without cause or creed and who cannot be pinned to any ideology, quite unlike Zik and other political heavyweights of his time.” Gowon called on Nigerians to reflect on the lives of the founding fathers of the country saying: “We need to ask: what did they live for? What ideals did they die for? Was their perception of a united Nigeria exclusionary or all-inclusive? Was their nationalism based on perceived benefits of natural resources in their places of birth? Were they overly concerned with parochial interests or personal ‘stomach infrastructure’ or were they driven because they needed to promote the common good of the citizenry. Was their faith a tool of division or an instrument of peace to bring all together? Did they ever promote banditry and mindless violence, especially to the vulnerable or did they see themselves as vehicles to truly bring about change in society? We need to ask questions. We may think that the age we are now in Nigeria calls for speed but the truth is that the age in which people like Zik and his contemporaries lived was in more hurry than could readily be imagined.” Also speaking, Delta State governorship aspirant on the platform of the PDP, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme, described the late Azikiwe as “a detribalised Nigerian and one of the few politicians who believed that politics is essentially for service.” She called on Nigerians to emulate the noble ideals and legacies of Zik in order to build a robust nation. Prime Minister of Barbados, Freundel Jerome Stuart, in his message to the gathering, said the late Azikiwe stands tall among former leaders of independent countries of Africa, noting that he is highly regarded in his country. He also urged Nigerians to emulate his footsteps to build a stronger nation.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 23:24:03 +0000
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