Recently, former President Goodluck Jonathan was invited by the United States House sub-committee on Africa to speak about Nigeria and the issues the country is facing.
Speaking at the event on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, Nigeria’s ex-president, Jonathan spoke the Southern Kaduna killings, Niger Delta crisis and relevance of the 2014 Confab report.
Here are six things the former president said:
1. Nigeria’s relevance to the world
Speaking on the relevance to the world, he said: “Nigeria, as a nation, is relevant to the U.S. in my opinion especially when you consider such parameters as: Mineral resources, economy/trade, biotic resources, population/human resources, etc
“Nations such as Nigeria can impact the globe positively when things are handled properly. They may also affect the world negatively if things go wrong. It is not in the best interest of the U.S. and indeed the international community to ignore Nigeria.”
2. Religious crisis in Nigeria
On the issue of religious crisis and religiously motivated killings, he said:
“If, as a nation, we do not kill religious persecution and extremism, then religious persecution and extremism will kill Nigeria.
“The potential danger associated with the level of conflicts going on across the country is so glaring that no sane mind can ignore.”
3. Education
Speaking on the importance of education, he said: “Even before I set up the National Conference in 2014, my government took certain initiatives to end impunity and reorient the minds of Nigerians.
“First was education. I established twelve conventional Federal Universities and two specialized universities. Nine of the twelve Federal Universities were located in those states in Northern Nigeria that previously did not have any Federal University.
“The Specialized Police University was located in Kano state, also in the North, bringing the total number of universities I established in the North of Nigeria to ten. The Specialized Maritime University was located in the Niger Delta.
“In addition to these, I also established 165 Almajiri elementary and high schools in each of the nineteen states of Northern Nigeria to combine Islamic education with Western education.”
4. Religious Equity Commission
Speaking on the solution to religious crisis, he said:
“In view of the fact that religion plays a vital role in many aspects of our national life especially in the aspect of national security and national unity, it is highly imperative that it be singled out from other fundamental rights and given a special attention via the creation of an Equity Commission whose sole mandate will be to focus on religious rights and their promotion.
“I totally agreed with the 2014 National Conference on the need to establish the Religious Equity Commission that will have powers to arrest and prosecute those who contravene the law.
“If, as a nation, we do not kill religious persecution and extremism, then religious persecution and extremism will kill Nigeria.
“The potential danger associated with the level of conflicts going on across the country is so glaring that no sane mind can ignore.”
5. The Niger Delta
Speaking on the Niger Delta and the solution to the problems plaguing the region, Ex-president Jonathan said: “The people in this region feel that though they suffer from the environmental hazards of the exploitation of the God given resources, they do not commensurately benefit from the exploitation of these resources.
“The military crackdown in the Niger Delta will not end the agitation there. It will have the opposite effect of provoking the youth, which will cause them to seek to acquire sophisticated weapons to defend themselves and their communities.”
6. United States and Nigeria’s relation
In conclusion, he called for good relations between both countries, saying: “I call this body [United States United States House sub-committee] and the new American administration of President Donald J Trump, of whom we are very confident.
“To please work with the government and people of Nigeria by way of capacity building and intelligence gathering and sharing and indeed in any way possible to bring an end to religious extremism in Nigeria.”
Courtesy: NAIJ
A true leader.