Nigeria is at the cross road and no doubt we are in the middle of one of the greatest battles for the soul of our motherland with different challenges bedeviling our dear nation left right and center.
Terrorism in the Northeast has continue to wreck havoc on innocent citizens, banditry in the Northwest making life difficult for both the rich and the poor, tribal and religious wars in North central and Ipob secessionists in the Southeast, militants in the South south and Oduduwa agitation in the Southwest. Literary Nigeria is sitting on a cage of gunpowder under very high pressure.
Furthermore Nigeria has never been divided along religious and ethnic lines since the civil war as it is now.
The fear of every right thinking mind is not the separation of North and South, the cessation of Biafra or Oduduwa,it is the chaos, bloodshed, terror, tears and destruction that are prerequisite of such that should scare us.
No doubt if after the constitutional eight years of President Buhari which we all know in fairness and truth as a sacred bond that defined us as Muslims and Northerners we insist on voting another Northerner as President then the Yorubas with whom we have an unwritten gentleman agreement for power rotation will have every right to be disappointed and feel cheated and as a matter of fact it is cheating and betrayal of trust from our side.
In politics and in diplomacy it's always do me I do you and no middle grounds,no doubt our betrayal of the Southwest will rekindle the agitation for Oduduwa Republic in the region and an avoidable alliance between the Odua agitators and the IPOB Separatists, once this happen then the stage is set for another civil war because no sitting President will allow certain part of their country to go just like that without war not to talk of an African President.
And guess what the waste and America do? They will aid both sides with weaponry, arms and ammunition, while the war rages on they feast like hungry vultures on our God giving resources.
Another civil war at this time will be disastrous it will only result in an avoidable and gruesome murders and bloodshed which will only drag us back to the darkened caves of oblivion and forever seal our faith in the dungeon of history.
In Africa wars have caused severe damage and destruction to many countries of which 89% did not recover, in fact beside Rwanda no other African country ever came out of a war and was able to rebuild itself beyond its former shadow throughout our history as independent and free states.
Another thing to consider is recently Inec Chairman Professor Mahmud made a sterling revelation in an interview with the BBC where he said Nigeria has 11 million more voters than the whole of West Africa put together. That is to say if you put the population of people above the age of 18 in West Africa then Nigeria has 11 million people ahead of the rest of the sub region.
Its worthy of note that the over 18 men and women are the legal age of joining the military then consider the number of underaged soldiers or rebels and or whatever name you call them that we will have in a case of civil war and a total breakdown of law and oder.
Beside that due to our population the moment war breakout and it get to an extent were our refugees begin fleeing the country it will be a disaster for the whole of west Africa because no country have the facilities to accommodate 5% of Nigerians in the whole of West Africa.
All this can be avoided by doing the needful, I therefore call on our Northern brothers and sisters to for the sake of equity, justice, fairness and peaceful coexistence allow power to return to the south After Buhari's eight years tenure.
As Northerners we have nothing to fear whoever became the President of Nigeria and wherever he or she is from because we have a majority in the Senate, majority in the House of representatives and a majority in the federal executive council so if for a surety the North is our concern then we have more than enough power to protecr the North from whatever it is that we fear whoever is the President. We have the power to make or mar any government.
I pray that we apply wisdom and let reason to lead us rather than desire and hunger for absolute power to lead us to self destruction. As Northerner we have made a Promise to the Southwest to return power to them after our tenure may our faith, our Iman and our conviction to stand by the truth never be tested at the alter of politics.
Mohammed Bello Doka is the National President Arewa Youths Progressive Alliance.
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