For some time I have received this compelling  message from several sources enjoining all Igbo to fast and seek the face of GOD till GOD answers. The message directs that ndiIgbo ask God to fight for them the way He fought for Mordecai, Esther and the Israelites when Harman wanted to destroy them. No fair minded person will deny the fact that Nigeria, particularly this regime has not mistreated the Igbo. I have written a couple of articles addressing the unfair treatment of the Igbo not because I am Igbo but because it is true there is a glass ceiling and separate rules set for the Igbo in Nigeria.

However, it’s not just the Igbo that need God’s intervention. Nigeria as whole needs His tender mercy and love especially now the ominous cloud have started drizzling. We must pray against deluge with thunder and lightning.

Beyond prayers, we the people must take actions that will give us peace otherwise we get blamed for failing to do what needed to be done. No one should play saint on the issue of hate speech. The ruling and elite class are most guilty of spreading hate and exploiting the ignorance of the poor. Many times we say and write things that hurt our fellow compatriots. I have my regrets in this regards.

During the 2014 National Confab, the North at the plenary complained that what irked them most was the way Southerners abused them. Sergeant Awuse in return responded that the tirade will not stop so long as the North is abusing President Jonathan. About the same time, I recall publishing a couple of articles that I now consider as toxic and my only justification was that Ango Abdulahi and Junaidu Mohammed were abusing and threatening Mr. Jonathan.

Some of the things I published then helped to keep the atmosphere charged and boiling. It was a miracle that the country didn’t explode. If anything had happened to Nigeria, it would have been blamed on those of us who said and wrote very uncomplimentary remarks against each other, while leaving the issues that affect the people unattended to. Looking back I would say ‘an eye’ for ‘an eye’ would have left Nigeria blind. It was a relief that the Jonathan administration came to an end when it did and bloodshed was averted. Enter 2016 and 2017, rather than abate, hate speech has multiplied because the victorious party also a beneficiary of hate speech left many things undone thus leaving peace at large.

Mr. Osibanjo’s intervention to stem the rising tide of hate speech is welcome so long as the effort will not be reduced to political and criminal issue targeting opposition leaders. The rule must be clearly defined and applied across board irrespective of political party or sectarian affiliation.

The way we put our partisan, ethnic and sectarian interest first above the nation is dangerous. In this regard , I speak directly to President Buhari who thankfully is back to the country after 103 days of absence. I am inclined to believe that things said about his leadership style during his long leave of absence are things he could reflect upon . We are the one to make peace with him leading the initiative. There is still time for him to fix our broken politics and fractured peace. I pray he use the available time wisely and to the Glory of God who gives power.

Shooting and killing agitators or intimidating opposition leaders without resolving the nightmare of Boko Haram, Kidnapping and Fulani Herdsmen  will not be a good way to go. The task before the president is to demonstrate his serious commitment to equity, justice and reconciliation by reviewing and taking back his 97% and 5% principle. When you are elected the president of a country you are the president of the entire nation and must be careful not to be perceived as being sectional. He should address genuine grievances because we need our country back.

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The president should also take a look at the issue of restructuring and devolution of power and be true to himself whether this is the Nigeria of his dream. Nigeria in my opinion can be made better, we can create a great future and a country worthy of our patriotism by  urgently reviewing the ethics of the fairness of our federation.

Beyond my expectation from Mr. President, I will call on all agitators, particularly IPOB and MASSOB to pay close attention to their strategy. The Igbo agitation is legitimate. IPOB and MASSOB have successfully brought the injustice masqueraded in Nigeria as sovereignty to the fore. They have woken up the docility of millions of people who have now reached the conclusion that the status quo is no longer acceptable. The battle for the future of the nation is restructuring. Nnamdi Kanu no doubt is the new face of the struggle. He is at the peak of his activism which need to be sustained but properly managed.

To avoid a rapid decline, Kanu may need to moderate his utterances and review his strategy , especially the strategy of abusing those who disagree with his separatist agenda. We just cannot abuse our way to freedom, and I don’t know of any group faced with our kind of circumstances that achieved their goals fighting bitterly with the tongue rather than the brain.

To remain relevant, IPOB must carefully choose her battles. No matter what is the inspiration, NK and IPOB need the wise counsel of the elders hence abusing the highly revered Obi of Onitsha, Eze Nri and the respected President General of Ohaneze is no strategy. Also highly misplaced is the threat to boycott elections.

It’s now far more important that we stand together as a people to find solution to our common problems. We need to build new bridges and extend more handshakes while remaining firm in our demand for respect, equity , justice and fairness for all.

A true leader must always consider the pros and cons of his actions. The life and welfare of his people comes first otherwise he takes the responsibility for any misfortune arising from his miscalculation.

Kanu if he must lead, must realize that his actions have direct consequence on the lives of over twenty million Igbo men, women and children as well as their investments worth trillions of Naira. Given that every genocide begins with hate speeches and pent up emotions we must find a way of replacing our current violent rhetoric with aggressive diplomacy and intelligent conversations. We cannot afford to risk the lives of millions of our people because we have allowed our emotions to rule our minds. The struggle must be guided by the head, not emotions. When we use radio Biafra to abuse the Hausa-Fulani the way we do,  we must realize they have the right to abuse us back. To make our journey lighter we must drop the baggage of hate and hurtful speech. I believe our story can be told without hateful and hurtful words.

No doubt, President Buhari made our situation worse; no doubt there is a long list of systemic prejudice and marginalization against us; no doubt we have been taken for a ride for too long; no doubt we have been repeatedly lied to ; no doubt we are traumatized and frustrated, truth is that the world need to have an intelligent conversation to hear our story. The last thing the world want to hear from us is how violent we can abuse or threaten each other. Rather than support our cause , hate speeches coming from us will make the world to cringe in horror, leaving them confused if we aren’t the aggressors. This we must avoid.