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Political elite responsible for
religious
conflicts in
Nigeria-Ray
Ekpu,
Newswatch Boss
By Jim Pressman Newsdiaryonline Wed Nov 23,2011
Ray
The sheer fragility of the Nigerian
Federation which was tested to the limit in 1967, has been
underscored again by Nigerian journalist of international repute
Ray Ekpu, who also put the blame for obstructing cohesion and
integration in the Nigerian nation squarely at the doorstep of
the political elite who he accused of being responsible for the
existence and thriving of militant ethnic groups in the country.
The co-founder, Editor-in-Chief and Chief
Executive Officer of Nigeria’s pioneer leading Newsmagazine,
while presenting a soul-stirring ,11-page Lecture alongside Mass
Communication teacher and Head of Department, Professor Umaru
Pate of the University of Maiduguri at the opening of the 2011
Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Capital Chapter of Nigerian
Institute of Public Relations(NIPR) in Abuja declared:
“Ethnic groups such as Arewa People’s
Congress, Oodu’a People’s Congress MASSOB [Movement for the
Survival and Sovereignty of Biafra], and Niger Delta groups have
witnessed the emergence of militant groups such as OPC, Egbesu,
Bakassi Boys, Boko Haram, etc..., who purport to defend their
interests with or without their approval. These militant groups
exist and thrive basically because the political elite in these
territories consider them useful political tools when they need
them. That is why they look the other way when these groups
commit atrocities which, ordinarily, ought to attract
condemnation from them.”
Ekpu warned Nigerians to “refrain from the
Islamization/Christianization of politics or the politicization
of religion as a whole, if the country is to maintain some
semblance of cohesion and stability.”
On the issue of unconditional Amnesty for
the Boko Haram offered by Governor Kashim Shettima and rejected
by the Boko Haram group, who thereafter continued to throw bombs
in various public places, the former National Concord editor
said he had no issue with government “giving the Boko Haram
militants a peace need to know who they are And what they want.”
He said such negotiation “will have to be done with people, not
just a faceless, shadowy organization (and that) they must put
their cards face up on the table and tell Nigerians what they
want.”
Expressing disgust at the low level to
which value for human life in Nigeria has got, due to the
surfeit of conflicts and frictions leading to instability, Ekpu
recalled how Obasanjo once observed that “As human beings, we
will always have friction when we live together but it should
not lead to violence or the urge to take life” noting also that
it is the unhealthy competition and manoeuvres for power and
control among the elite which are principally responsible for
the difficulty in national integration.
Ekpu concluded that “the level of injustice
in the society is increasing, while the ability to get redress
is decreasing mainly because of corruption, delays in the
justice system and the high expenditure in pursuing cases to the
logical end pushes those frustrated by the hindrances to resort
to self-help or instant (jungle) justice, which in turn
increases societal strife.”
The ace journalist asked a parting question
to loud applause: “As we approach the centenary of the
amalgamation, I ask you: Do we have a shared vision, the vision
of a country we want to build into a cohesive, self-reliant,
prosperous nation that is bound by the universal ideals of
fairness, equity, justice, accommodation and egalitarianism, a
country that is united even in its diversity?”
Also delivering another lecture at the
event on the topic: Public Relations and the Challenges of
National Cohesion in Nigeria, Head of the Mass Communication
Department at the University of Maiduguri, who disclosed that
the institution had started a Post – Graduate course in
Diversity and Conflict Reporting for years, regretted that
students had insufficient knowledge of Nigeria and Nigerians
outside their immediate enclaves and could not fully benefit
from such a programme.
He suggested, among other measures:
· Mainstreaming the teaching of diversity
and conflict resolution in Public Relations and Mass
Communications training curricula to prepare professionals for
practice in multicultural settings
· Provision of Continuous re-training for
PROs on handling of diversity issues in their environments, and
· Training of PROs to monitor early warning
signals of conflict in specific areas, to be able to draw
attention of their organizations, governments and the general
public to such signals.
The event winds up Thursday November 24,
with a Gala and Award Night at the same venue: New Chelsea Hotel
Abuja.
Th
This is the document referred to in the Witness
Statement on Oath of Clifford O. Kokogho as
“Exhibit
COK.2”
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