By Gabriel Atumeyi
The National Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately convene a national dialogue conference for stakeholders and Nigerians across tribes, class and creed as a necessary stride towards dousing the tensions fingered as responsible for persistent insecuriy and threat of secession in the country.
The body said it was time for Nigerians to come to the table and negotiate their way out of the seeming debacle emanating from the tortuous security situation that the country has found itself with the bandit attacks and kidnapping in addition to the entrenched Boko Haram insurgency.
In a statement made available to 365Daily by its Vice President Southwest, Comrade Dotun Omoleye, he said the plea became necessary in view of growing declarations for secession and disintegration of the Nigerian polity.
“We view the growing tensions across the nation along tribal, ethnic as religious lines as potential threats to the continued peace, mutual coexistence and unity of our nation that there is no other time to demand proportional response to the yearnings and aspirations of all citizens to be addressed at a roundtable than now.
“As the leader of our country, destiny has today placed it in the hand of President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse this ugly trend so, we passionately appeal to him to immediately create a national platform through which eminent citizens could be brought together to a forum where agitations and grievances could be tabled and addressed once and for all.
“A situation where once friendly, tolerant and accommodating compatriots suddenly began to expand each other’s fault lines is unfortunate, unacceptable and the government must be decisive to deal peacefully to restore order through dialogue,” Omoleye said.
The youth activist also decried recent ejection notice against citizens residing in different parts of the country by non-state actors; saying such utterances contravened the law and must not be allowed to gain tractions.
“There is no doubting the grievances nursed by each ethnic nationality; everyone has its pains and questions but we have gone too far together; we have mingled too well to adopt breaking up as an option. The NYCN views these uproars as reactions to decades of leadership vacuum but we also believe that these cracks are not irredeemable if stakeholders can put the nation at the front burner in charting a fresh page for the nation.
“We therefore strongly align with voice of wisdom, particularly from our traditional rulers and leaders of opinion cautioning against extreme positions, as it is important to seek a melting point through dialogue where our nation could be repositioned through a forum where everyone can give and take,” the NYCN chieftain stressed.
Omoleye emphasized that recent events have justified the need for the Federal Government to reconsider its position of the calls to restructure the nation for inclusiveness; fairness and development which he believes are necessary to promote unity, fast-track development and restore confidence.
He added that the challenges facing the country are not beyond redemption and appealed to aggrieved Nigerians to sheath their sword by giving peace a chance.
He further urged the youths which constitute largest Nigerian demography to embrace peace as the only way through which development and security could be guaranteed.