Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Obadiah Mailafia says Nigeria’s enemies abhor change because the present dysfunctional system favours them.
According to him, those that “have benefitted from the current iniquitous system will fight ferociously to protect their privileges”.
He stated this in an article titled “Men In Dark Times (2)” in his weekly column published by The Punch on Tuesday.
Mailafia stated that the nation will however survive and flourish if all Nigerians muster the requisite courage and vision to build a New Nigeria.
The former presidential candidate disagreed with those that argue that Nigeria’s 1914 Amalgamation was an “accident”.
Quoting revered scientist Albert Einstein, Mailafia said, “God does not play dice with the universe. God is engaged in a great thought experiment to see if we can forge out of our multifarious ethno-religious communities a prosperous democracy that can become the beacon of hope for our benighted continent.”
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However, quoting former American Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, who observed that Nigeria is always “dancing on the brink”, he warned that the constant hovering around the precipice “can lead to irreversible trauma”.
“We will surely perish if we continue on the path of folly. The future is an open book,” he stated.
He also warned those clamouring for war to desist from doing so, noting that war causes starvation, rape, deprivation of movement, fear, and lack of access to health care.
“Some people are beating the drums of war today. If there is one war we must avoid at all costs, it is this one. It is easy to fan the embers of hatred. But to experience the horrors of war is a different matter altogether,” Mailafia stated.
Therefore, the former CBN deputy governor appealed to the older generation “to salvage our country from the jaws of catastrophe”.
Explaining how this could be done, Mailafia said, “The clarion call for re-engineering of the federation can no longer be ignored. We must devolve powers to the regions and redesign our system to ensure that it guarantees the welfare, security and the common good of all.”