The Pan Nigerian Initiative (PNI) has called on the Federal Government to ‘urgently convene democratic engagements to reset and restore confidence in Nigeria,’ stating that the daily ‘occurrences across the country show the inability of government to protect the citizens or prevent pervasive scale violence and emergent insurgencies.’
Chief Pat Utomi who chaired the emergency intervention meeting of PNI, in Abuja, on Tuesday, said government, former leaders who manned the three arms of government, and organised private sector must wake up to duty and responsibility against the rising anarchy and civil strife in the country, noting that there is need to mobilise stakeholders in order to douse unprecedented spate of anarchy and pervasive insecurity in Nigeria.
The Pan Nigerian Initiative was formed by the collaboration of the National Consultative Front (NCF) and the Eminent Leaders of Conscience (ELC).
The Initiative noted that the country is confronted with multiple internal insurrections, ethnic divisions and strife, and separationist agitations in all the six geopolitical zones of the country, stating that ‘the inability of the Nigerian state to provide peace and stability to its people has generated widespread poverty, official corruption, insurgencies, banditry, kidnapping, assassinations, mindless killings, general insecurity as well as dangerous negative effects on the economy and development of the country.’
According to the PNI, ‘there is a deep-seated trust deficit between government and the governed and with such level of distrust, governing the country has become problematic with serious effects on the legitimacy of the State to exercise authority over the citizens and this legitimacy may shrink to the point of a completely failed or collapsed State.’
The group expressed concern that ‘while government agencies and functionaries and politicians are busy working on ideal 2023 election preparations and timelines, the socio-political landscape has been fast deteriorating and the spirit of sectionalism has spread across Nigeria coupled with internal revolts and separationism have reached an advanced stage.’
‘Most people have begun to imagine that 2023 election programme may not materialise and therefore, a course correction to deal with degradation matters on ground have become imperative and compelling to return from the brink of anarchy and civil war.’
The Utomi-led group further said: ‘In the midst of these disorders, elected and appointed officials of Government are often perceived as traitors, and they now seem to lack the needed public trust to move the country forward,’ adding that it has become evident that democracy and indeed our country is under greater threat.
‘It is for this reason that the promoters of this Pan Nigerian Initiative, National Consultative Front have shelved their own pro-political events to squarely face the task of rallying together the Save Nigeria Now Agenda to save Nigeria from an impending civil war and to direct the country’s endowments towards erecting a truly prosperous and harmonious Nation that can deliver good governance, security, and prosperity to her citizens, while also providing an exemplary leadership in Africa,’ the group said.
The group called on the government to ‘take urgent steps to stem the dangerous tide of violence, criminality, insecurity, anarchy, and tension in the country before they degenerate into full blown civil war and irreversible corporate collapse.’
While saying that the Pan Nigerian Initiative has resolved to do all it can within lawful means to stem the tide of prevailing widespread insecurity, the group noted that the people of Nigeria have a responsibility to protect Nigeria from collapse and create a platform to bring all warring parties to a peace table.
According to the PNI, attacks on individuals, groups and public facilities must stop immediately, adding that Nigerians must note that they are not enemies of one another, and must protect each other in the light of seeming failure of elected leaders and state agencies to protect us.
‘That Nigerians must stop the dangerous practice of ethnic and religious profiling as all of us could fall victims in our own country where we are all hosts and guests,’ the PNI said, adding that the current events in Nigeria resulting in violent conflicts and killings have put the citizens on emotional lockdown which invariably does not admit or allow any form of moderate views or moderation.
