Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the house of representatives, says the current level of insecurity is unparalleled in Nigeria’s history.
Dogara spoke in Kaduna on Thursday while chairing a northern security meeting convened by the Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP).
He said the situation in the north is even worse, adding that of the 19 states in the region, only the federal capital territory (FCT) and Kwara state are relatively peaceful.
He blamed the situation on poor leadership and failure of leaders to organise a society that works for all.
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According to him, the red flags were there but the leaders failed to take caution, a mistake he says everyone is now paying for.
“We are confronted with a crisis that is unparalleled in our history. The death spiral appears unstoppable. Increasingly, it is becoming harder and harder to distinguish us from our enemies,” Dogara said.
“There was no shortage of early warning signs and as a matter of fact, our philosophers such as the late Sa’adu Zungur of blessed memory had warned that this dystopian era was fast approaching but we ignored all.
“We are now paying for our collective negligence. Our economic debris have become too conspicuous to be ignored. As it is, we are now trapped in a prison of mirrors, where lies are answered with new lies.”
He said with the situation of things, “it’s like our slow motion walk to self apocalypse is assured”
He added that the north was running out of time and decisive actions needed to be taken so that future generations would inherit the region in “one piece and not in pieces”.
“In tackling these problems, we must realise that guns do not kill and killing does not necessarily bring peace except peace of the grave,” he said.
“Violence is taking roots because poor leadership model has been exposed as a lie, an empty ideology used to satiate greed instead of addressing social inequality and injustice.
“We are running out of time, it is crystal clear that the North cannot withstand the kind of contradictions that exist now.
“The north is on fire ignited by us either by our actions or by what we permit or allow.
“Those who truly love the North must now come out and accept responsibility and begin the salvage mission, bearing in mind Prof. Andrew Haruna’s warning that the North was handed over to us in one peace, we must therefore not pass it to our children in pieces.”
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