National reconciliation and nation-building: the role of all national stakeholders

Mr. President,

This being the first time that the undersigned craves your esteemed audience in the new political dispensation that Nigerians have chosen to take them forward at this point in time, I would like to begin by congratulating you on assumption of the presidency, and to convey my best wishes for success in your new assignment to your good self, your equally distinguished former running mate and to other members of the executive council.

I would immediately like to bring into clear focus the very important issue of the role of all bona fide stakeholders in overdue national reconciliation, re-evaluation and reconstitution. The impending considerations that will hereafter ensue will be timely and address core issues that are at the very heart of our poorly defined nation-building process.

We are all aware that many countries the world over have faced considerable difficulties in dealing with the myriad of challenges facing post-conflict communities, or as in our case insurgency-affected communities, not only in terms of reconciliation and confidence-building measures between communities, but also in establishing a climate of peace and security, rebuilding governance structures and promoting socio-economic and political renewal and consolidation.

While it is clear that we all have crucial roles to play in national reconciliation, it should also be clear that there cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution; situations vary, as do the reconciliation challenges, and the capacity of nations to meet these challenges. Our overarching role as stakeholders must therefore also vary from one situation to another, but it should always be commensurate with our expectations and the obligations outlined in the constitution.

The challenges Nigeria faces going forward, notably in the north-eastern segment, remain particularly grave. Besides monumental loss of lives in the recent past and internal displacement of many, all economic and social activities had ground to a complete standstill, even as the security situation in the country is still fragile and portentous.

Food production as well as routine medical and other social services have been severely impaired and it is under this difficult environment in which Nigeria must begin the process of national reconciliation, consensus building and the march towards a truly consolidated federation.

As the new executive starts to figure out how to embark on renewed nation building, I would like to draw attention to a number of key aspects:

1) Nation building is a process of which the foundational work alone may take quite a while; it is not necessarily an event that can be completed in weeks, months or a few years and hence should not be seen as just an event, but value-chain development process, albeit a phased one.

The federal consolidation process should immediately begin by creating an enabling environment for reconciliation to take place in earnest. Creating the enabling environment involves such things as ensuring peace and security in all parts of the country, return of refugees and IDPs to their homes, kick-starting normal economic and social activity, and improving access to medical and other humanitarian services in hitherto unstable communities. Crucially, rebuilding properly-enabled local, sub-national and national governance structures is an essential prerequisite for the success of the national consolidation process, in which all of us must play a key role.

2) After creating the enabling environment, the Federal Government of Nigeria would do well to establish a national unity and reconciliation commission and charge it with the responsibility of organising a series of open national discussions focusing on what went so badly wrong with the politics and governance of our country to bring things to the current low point, whereby we are yet to realise the essence of departing from ethnicity and petty prejudices. These discussions must essentially involve everyone in the country, including civic and community leaders and elders, marginalised groups, professionals, farmers, students, and even insurgency suspects.

We believe that these discussions will trigger national soul-searching and enable us identify what went wrong and what we must do to ensure that the mistakes of the past are never repeated. It is highly crucial for national stakeholders to take ownership of this process, while the organised civil society community and relevant global agencies play supportive roles.

3) Nigeria will have to face the particularly difficult challenge of promoting unity and reconciliation while at the same time ensuring that those who committed crimes during insurgency are brought to justice – justice is crucial to the reconciliation of the perpetrator and the victim. Reconciliation is, however, not always best realised by blanket amnesty and is important in order to eradicate the culture of impunity that has for so long been a feature of Nigerian life. Justice should also be aimed at rehabilitation of the offenders and thereby making reconciliation between them and the victims possible.

4) Insurgency is taking place in Nigeria following decades of rogue politics and poor governance. For reconciliation to take place there should be a sense that measures will be put in place to ensure that insurgency will not occur again in the country. Governance reform therefore becomes a vital component of the reconciliation process. A new political dispensation with transparent, democratic, decentralised and empowered governance structures must be promptly put in place to ensure that insurgency and systematic state-inspired terror would never happen again. National stakeholders must play an important supportive role here too, with international support.

5) Economic recovery and development are also important for reconciliation and germane global agencies can play a leading role in mobilising international financial and technical support to ensure that there is a peace and reconciliation dividend in terms of economic growth, jobs and an improved quality of life.

Finally, Mr. President, I would like to underline the importance of leadership in the process of reconciliation. The reconciliation process is possible in Nigeria if we entrench leadership with a vision that does not necessarily seek short-term, popular solutions to complex problems. National reconciliation should be seen as primarily the direct responsibility of our country, therefore ownership of the reconciliation process by national stakeholders is crucial to the success of the process and the necessity for equity all the way can never be over-emphasised.

There is clearly an important need to get things off the ground in this wise right away, particularly in creating an enabling environment for reconciliation internally and mobilising national synergy and international support for rapid economic recovery and concerted nation-building efforts. It is my hope and expectation that this will be given the utmost consideration and support, even as we must all pledge continued impetus in being a driving vector in taking things forward in this regard.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Tunde Arogunmati