Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), has lamented the rising spate of insecurity and the clamour for self-determination in parts of Nigeria, calling for “urgent actions” to address them before they destabilise the country.
General Ihejirika was appointed the COAS on September 8, 2010, by President Goodluck Jonathan and was retired from service on January 2014
General Ihejirika, who spoke in Abuja Saturday night at the interfaith roundtable and stakeholders’ dinner on “Building a Culture of Peace and Unity in Nigeria”, organized by the Methodist Church of Nigeria, noted that “peace and stability could only be achieved when the causes of conflict in society are well-managed.”
Earlier, the Methodist Archbishop of Abuja, the Most Rev. Joseph Job, accused the elite of exploiting the religious and ethnic fault lines in the country for selfish gains at the detriment of the nation and the citizens.
The Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, said Christians and Muslims in the country had developed mutually beneficial businesses as well as economic and political relationships without crisis, disagreement or violence in company boardrooms, legislative chambers and political meetings.
He added: “We ought to export the same comradeship and mutual interaction to the larger society so that we can help our people build trust, tolerance, harmony and friendship across religious fault lines.”
The Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, represented by Permanent Secretary, General Service Office, OSGF, Maurice Mbaeri, said Nigeria’s unity could not be negotiated.