Only legitimate protests, please…..Nation

The clamour for secession of the Eastern territory out of Nigeria has suddenly become strident once again.

After strident campaign in parts of the South East zone by some activists on the platform of the Movement for the Actualisation of Biafra (MASSOB), the massive sensitization procession on the streets of Port-Harcourt in the South South has demonstrated that it is not a development that should be waved away; or one that could be subdued by merely arresting some leaders of the movement.

It is one demand that should be paid close attention by those in government at the state and federal levels.

While we support the position that protests are legitimate in a democratic set-up, we equally accept that protests in support of illegality are illegal and illegitimate.

It is even more dangerous when it is realized that while parts of the Niger Delta was conscripted to the botched Biafra bid, it was repudiated and led to a war within a war. The abandoned property syndrome is a scar left by that development. Staging such a protest in Port-Harcourt is thus a provocation to those in that part who remember the events of the Civil War (1967-1970) and might want to resist a repeat.

However, we see no merit in any bid by the Nigeria Police to see all protests as evil. It is the mark of the freedom of the country that citizens reserve the right to stage protests, processions and rallies over social and political issues. All that should ordinarily interest the Police is that such gatherings are peaceful and that they are not held to mobilize the citizenry for illegal causes.

At this point when there is so much challenge to nation-building and national development, Nigeria can do without a war along another corridor.

In an earlier editorial, we had called on the government to ensure that the militias are put out of action intelligently and tactically. This would help in ensuring concerted action against terrorism in other parts of the country.

This is a time that troops are deployed for all conflict situations and the armed forces fully engaged in the North East where they have a deadline set by the Commander-in-Chief to worry about.

At the same time, the economy is on the verge of a recession. It is a time that all Nigerians should put their heads together and work towards pulling her out of the woods.

It is reassuring that the Igbo elite have not joined the fresh clamour. The Nigerian state may be failing, but it is a challenge to all to contribute their quota in making things work. The laws must be enforced, the leaders guided by rule of reason and not rule of the mob, while the people realize that the way forward would require sacrifice.

We recall that the Civil War fought to keep Nigeria one lasted 30 months, from August 1967 to January 1971. It cost the country so much in lives of men, women and children; and a setback in the development march from which we are yet to recover more than 45 years after. Mutual suspicion continues to define social and political relations in the country.

We call on all to sheathe their swords and align themselves with the Fundamental Objectives of the Nigerian State, realising that the task of keeping Nigeria one is for all parts and citizens.