Anyaoku, Olusola advocate enthronement of social justice
A few months shy of her fiftieth anniversary, the consensus is that Nigeria as a country is yet to find her depth. Just this year alone, the country has suffered fresh violence, twice, ethnic and religious crisis erupted in Plateau State, there was a brief resurgence of militants attacking oil installations and also linked to the detonation of a car bomb in Delta State, the very first occurrence of the use of such a device in our clime, and of course the now accepted cases of kidnaps and political motivated killings. Also pertinent is the outfall of the prolong ill-health of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and the attendant power struggle that is yet to be fully resolved.

These developments and the anticipation of an enviable and egalitarian future for the country informed the lecture theme of the National Daily Awards Ceremony, which held last Friday, 26 in Lagos, entitled: 'Strategies for Conflict Resolution in Nigeria', delivered by one time Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana and presided over by former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

Setting the tone for the discuss and the evening, the Chairman, Chief Anyaoku Emeka Anyaoku noted that, “Our country at the moment is at a threshold, we are struggling to entrench our democracy, and we struggling to manage series of conflicts that have occurred and still occurring in the country, the challenge of entrenching our democracy is there for all to see.”

Equally expressing his dismay at the conduct of the National Assembly concerning the ongoing constitution amendment, he said, “We are currently watching our National Assembly seeking to amend our constitution, I must say that the signs are not in my view extremely good. That as I read in one of the newspapers this morning that at least one half of our National Assembly is thinking of making it legal for elected representative to cross carpet, I think that would be a disaster for our democracy also that some section of our National Assembly is contemplating in removing the barring of people indicted from contesting election for public office, which would be another disaster for our democracy because one of our main preoccupation should be how to entrench good governance, good governance in widest sense of having a government that adhere to the principle of good ethic, I believe that if adopted, the two methods will set us back.”

Commenting on the theme of the lecture, Anyaoku stated that, “The topic: Strategies for Conflict Resolution in Nigeria, given to Professor Jerry Gana, is coming at time that we have occurrences in Niger Delta region and in Plateau State, I think that this theme is timely.”

In his presentation, Gana was quick to establish the potentials imbued in the country. “Nigeria”, he acknowledged, “is truly a great nation. A rising democracy, a country of over 140 million people, intelligent, educated, mature, educated, civilised, and very highly mobile because one can find Nigerians on every continent of the globe, doing well confidently, so am not one of those discouraged about Nigeria.”

Gana further stressed that, “Nigeria has a great future, and that Nigeria has a role of leading not only Africa but leading the world.” He emphasised the fact that, “Nigeria will rise, Nigeria will develop, Nigeria will get there, Nigeria will be admired.”

And that in addressing one of the issues facing great nations, one should bear in mind that Nigeria is not a simple nation. “Some of the challenges, tensions and difficulties we are going through may not be facing us.”

He then cautioned as well as sent out an appeal to Nigerians that, “No matter what we are going through presently, I do not want us to consider the option other people are considering wrongly, because if anything were to go wrong in Nigeria, which other neighbouring country will contain us.”
Thus, “Nigeria must remain Nigeria”, he emphasised.

Digging into the theme of the lecture, Gana subdivided his paper into three areas, Relationship between the Government and the People, Conflict Resolution and Sustenance of Peace.

He noted that the 1999 Constitution in part stated that, “Nigeria shall be a state based on the principles of democracy and social justice.” Adding that the constitution expressly predicated these principles on the fact that sovereignty belongs to the people from whom government derives all its power and authority and that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government.

Right to life is fundamental, and the government exists for the people to be secured, and that there cannot be development without security.
Gana pointed out that for the country to gain the desired peace, stability and security that would engender dynamic growth, the principle of free and fair election must be embraced. One of the problems he identified as facing the country presently is that voters are being refused their primary power of exchanging those governing them.

Another is open debate, democracy, he said, does not provide means of governance but also a veritable tool of resolving conflicts at all levels. Gana, also cited, the need to educate voters, stating that only enlightened voters can sustain a good democracy through which good leaders can emerge.

Gana again hammered on the need for the upholding of the principle of social justice, which he said is important of the resolution of social justice. He added that years of neglect of social justice and good leadership have been the cause of conflicts in the country.

A survey of conflicts in Nigeria, according to Gana, showed that most of the nagging issues borders on, Power struggle as in politics; Control of scarce resources as in the Niger Delta; Conflict over land as in Plateu, Nasarawa, Taraba and Niger States, between farmers and graziers; Development inequalities; Ethnicity and minority issues; and Religious intolerance.

Under the second phase of his paper entitled, Conflict resolution, Gana advised that it is logical for mediators to determine the nature and root cause of a conflict in order to arrive at a meaningful and lasting resolution.

Discussing the third phase of the lecture, Sustaining resolutions, Gana opined that proper implementation of agreed terms of settlements should be pursued to logical end. He cited the slow pace in which the recent Niger Delta Amnesty was handled and expressed satisfaction on the renewed vigour introduced by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

Buttressing Prof. Gana's submissions, the Founder and Chairman of the African Refugees Foundation (AREF), Chief (Ambassador) Segun Olusola, mni.OFR, warned that once Nigerians continue to distinguish between, 'strangers and indigenes' then conflicts would continue to surface. He advised State Governors to set up structures that will make various states habitable to all Nigerians without any distinction.

In is welcome address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the National Daily Newspapers, Mr. Sylvester Ebhodaghe noted that the paper is, “proud to say that every alumnus at the National Daily Awards has continue to break the trail in making us proud in their various fields and making us proud that every choice we made were not wrong after all.”
He also disclosed that National Daily has over the years been guided by the advice of Joseph Pulitzer, one of the greatest journalists of all time to “Put it before them briefly, so they will read it, clearly, so they will appreciate it, picturesquely, so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light”.

“National Daily”, he explained, “has maintained the lead in investigative journalism and our reports are founded on the sanctity of facts, which in today's Nigeria has become a moral burden. But as Marguerite Duras said 'Journalism without a moral position is impossible. Every journalist is a moralist. It's absolutely unavoidable'. We have singled ourselves out with every sense of duty, vigour and an unwavering spirit to the enthronement of good governance in Nigeria.”



Link:

http://www.nationaldailyngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=785:i-see-hope-for-nigeria-jerry-gana&catid=99:current-cover&Itemid=489