By Femi Fani-Kayode
There are many things happening in this country that people do not know. It is only when you have access to information that you can get a clear picture and make an informed assessment.
I have access to virtually every key person in this country and I assure you that we really are sitting on a keg of gunpowder.
It really does scare me. Those that talk carelessly and that do not emphasise peace, unity and restraint will lead us into a full scale civil war which will not only decimate the entire west African sub-region but will also last for at least 50 years.
It will make the civil war in Somalia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Congo and Yugoslavia look like child’s play and it will make our first civil war look like a tea party.
At least 50 million people will die in such a conflict because neither side will give an inch. I see this coming and I pray to God that it does not because none of us will be spared. This doomsday scenario must NEVER be allowed to unfold.
Many foreign nations want it to do so so that they can sell their weapons of mass destruction and arms to us, make millions of dollars for themselves and feed off Nigeria and African blood but we must resist it.
We must listen to those who call for peaceful, co-existence, dialogue, restraint and understanding.
We must join forces to fight the terrorists in our midst in the same way that the armies of the seven kingdoms came together and set aside their differences in the Game of Thrones in order to fight the army of the dead.
We must unite with all men and women of goodwill, we must appreciate the fears and pain of those we once considered our adversaries and we must reach out to them in love and treat each other with mutual respect and understanding.
Former foes must join hands and become allies and friends and they must build a bridge of love and understanding and iron out their differences in a peaceful way.
If we fail to do this we will ALL be consummed in an unavoidable inferno in which oceans of blood will rise and our cities and fields will become a sea of rubble and devastation.
In this context I say again that he Sultan of Sokoto’s call for peaceful dialogue is very important and I urge every leader and traditional ruler in this country to follow his cue before it is too late.
Anyone that courts, celebrates or begs for a second civil war is not only reckless and dangerous but also mentally unstable and totally insane.
We must not court the idea or celebrate war and we must never allow it to happen.
The path of peace is the only way and if we tread it with faith, courage, love and strength we shall have unity and progress in our country for many years to come.
My involvement in the recent peace talks brokered by President Buhari and led by Governor Yahaya Bello with the Amalgamated Unions that imposed a food embargo on the South taught me that nothing is impossible and that we can always achieve peace if we are prepared to sit down and listen to one another.
There was far more to the whole thing than a regional food embargo and had it not been for those successful negotiations the situation would have degenerated into something else and eventually many people in both the North and the South would have lost their lives.
There is much that we have not said about what was really going on behind the scenes but I just thank God that we managed to ensure that there was a successful outcome and that every body dropped their swords.
We were close to the brink as a nation but thankfully we did not go over it and we pulled back from it before it was too late. Yahaya Bello did exceptionally well and he acted as the bridge-builder.
Both sides were comfortable with him and the radicals and hot heads on both sides who were already procuring arms and preparing for war listened to him. I saw this with my own eyes.
Kudos to him. He is a great son of Nigeria and he saved the day. Everyone was surprised that he pulled it off in just 72 hours inckuding me.
The Bible says “blessed are the peacemakers” and indeed peace is a beautiful thing.
Let us continue to seek and nurture it and where we have conflicts and discord let us resolve them with humility and love.
That is true strength. May God lead and guide us all.
• Fani-Kayode is a politician and former Aviation Minister.