The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Monday, in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, laid emphasis on the need to avoid events and situations that led to the Nigerian civil war.
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo who was speaking at a special town hall meeting organised by the Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development, in conjunction with the National War Museum, to commemorate the 50th year anniversary of the Nigerian civil war, said “the war was a defining national tragedy that should not be allowed to repeat itself”.
Highlighting the effects and the cost of war which includes loss of opportunities for national advancement, Osinbajo said: “The way to celebrate national fallen heroes that paid the supreme sacrifice for the union called Nigeria is to ensure that the circumstances that led to the conflict never occur again.”
He said that, “Unlike many African countries with protracted multi-generational conflicts, our strife lasted only three years, and we have suffered not to relent in ending the issues after 50 years. We have invested in national integration, peace building and reconciliation.”
The convener of the meeting and Chairman, Ken Nnamani Center for Leadership and Development, Senator Ken Nnamani, while speaking earlier, noted that the 50th anniversary of the end of the civil war was in every respect, a highly significant milestone in the life of Nigeria as a nation.
The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo outlined things and also advice which will aid In fostering National Integration and Unity:
- The generations born after the civil war are navigating the adventure of being Nigerian on different terms from their forebears.
- By intermarrying, migrating and commingling in the quest for love and livelihood; they are forging alliances in business, civil society and politics.
- Without mincing words, the civil war was a defining national tragedy and a robust national conversation is necessary to aid the process of healing and reconciliation.
- In the 50 years that have followed since the end of the war, we have invested in national integration, peace building and reconciliation. That has been a lot less than perfect task.
- Even with challenges, those setbacks should not induce hopelessness or despondency.
- Our mission is to build a nation that works for all of us. Yet, nation building is hard work and bringing together multiplicity of ethnicity under one banner is an onerous but necessary task.
- The last 50 years belonged to us, but the next 50 belong to our children and we must unshackle them from ghosts of ancient grudges & grievances.
- By their conduct, our children show us that it is possible to forge friendships, let us give them a chance to do better than ourselves.
- While in Umuahia, I visited the National War Museum commissioned in 1989. It was established to preserve the relics of the Nigerian Civil War and serve as a memorial to the soldiers, civilians and other casualties of the Civil War and other conflicts in Nigeria.
- I believe together, Nigeria will prevail!
