Ibrahim Babangida, a former military leader of the country, has expressed confidence that the country will come out of its recent challenges.
He said, in a message to Nigerians, Monday, that the nation is not new to crises and would as usual, come out fine.
Ibrahim Babangida also called on those fanning the embers of war to have a rethink as there is nothing romantic about war.
“Nigeria, my dear country, is not a stranger to crisis, nor is she immune to it. In a profound sense, she can be said to have been created out of crisis, a nation state that will continue to strive to subdue and transcend crises. In over a century of its formalized colonial architecture, Nigeria has grown and made remarkable progress in the midst of crises,” Babangida said.
“The most tragic and horrendous episode in Nigeria’s history has been the 30 month Civil War of July 1967 to January 1970, in which many of our compatriots lost their lives. Indeed, many others also suffered terrible injuries of human and material dimensions. So, who really wants to go through the depth and dimensions of another Civil War in Nigeria again?
“Who does not know that that Civil War was preceded and started by intolerance and a series of hate pronouncements, hate speeches, hate conducts and actions that were inflicted upon one another by the citizens? Today, with a deep sense of nostalgia, I still carry within my body the pains of injury from the Civil War: there is nothing romantic about war; in any form, war is bad, condemnable and must be avoided.”