Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development has admitted that some Northern elders are responsible for the worsening security challenges in the country, especially in the Northeast and Northwest
In a statement today, March 26 by the National Coordinator, Engr. Goni Zana, the group confessed that some of them applied religious and regional considerations in dealing with the crisis.
“As difficult as it is in speaking the truth, we feel constrained to admit that our quick resort to religious, ethnic and regional considerations led us to advise the president in wrong directions.
“The war against insecurity could have been a thing of the past if we had made good and informed decisions. We believe the complete consideration of our interest in making appointments into security agencies among other things led us to this present situation. Our decision resulted in deep drop in the pursuit of the war against terrorists thus emboldened the adversaries on the other hand.
“Many lives and property have been lost and destroyed. Frontline troops were falling every day to a more determined group of insurgents and bandits but our decision to remain quiet and not say the truth as things were happening, led us to this present situation.”
The group said that the way out is for the President to stop adhering to advice from people of narrow interest and begin to take only decisions that are pro-Nigeria with a view to correcting the many ills of his administration towards a better country.
The group said that such decisions should be immediately reviewed, adding: “we wish to once again raise alarm over the deteriorating state of security in the North. We have been crying and will continue to cry until the situation gets better.
“We are loosing it as a country and Mr President needs to take extra steps before we are consumed as the rate at which we are going now if nothing is done within the shortest possible time, we may not have a country to call our own. The era of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is over. We can’t continue to dwell in the past. It’s time to move forward now.”
“Mr President must ignore every sectional, regional, tribal and religious sentiments and go for the best hands that can do this job of securing our country.
“As northern elders who are concerned about the peace, security and stability of our dear nation, we wish to appeal to those people of influence in the North who have access to the president to always speak the truth to him, especially in appointments or reforms in the security sectors and others even if it does not favour our region and religion, provided such appointments will bring lasting peace and unify Nigeria.”
