Coomasie’s Comments And National Unity

Former Inspector General of Police and Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr Ibrahim Coomasie, recently stirred the hornet’s nest with his “Nigeria can’t survive without the North” postulation. As it were, the comment apparently impinges on the unity and peaceful co-existence of the country and has, therefore, elicited reactions, nay condemnations from a wide spectrum of Nigerians.
It would be recalled that the debate on the unity of the country has been on for a very long time. Many Nigerians believe in negotiating the country’s unity by way of restructuring while several others express fear that any attempt to discuss the nation’s unity will dismember Nigeria as a nation. Thus, the unity of the country is a priceless commodity that ought to be handled with caution. This is why Coomasie’s comment is generating so much dust and interest.
While receiving members of the Jam’iyya Matan Arewa (JMA), a foremost Northern women socio-cultural organisation, who were on a visit to ACF’s National Working Committee (NWC), Coomasie was quoted to have told the members in Kaduna that Nigeria cannot survive without the North.
His words, “You all know that without the North, Nigeria can never survive. We still stand by it. But now is the time to walk the talk in the interest of our people”.
It is regrettable that similar divisive comments had been made in the past by other notable figures from the North. The latest one from Coomasie is not only provocative, vexatious and unacceptable but also condemnable, as it is capable of polarising the country as well as inciting a section of the country against the other.
The Tide, like many other stakeholders in the Nigeria project, believes that the comment by the elder statesman is uncalled for, given the security situation in the country.
Coomasie’s statement is most unfortunate considering the fact that this kind of statement came from a former Inspector General of Police, who ordinarily should protect the entire Nigerian State instead of fanning the ambers of hate and division through reckless utterances.
The Tide thinks that Coomasie’s posturing, by virtue of his statement, is not only worrisome but also portends grave danger to the national unity of the country. We say so because no section of the country or region is an island or can claim to be indispensable. As a matter of fact, Nigeria draws her strength from her diversity in religion, culture and language.
It rather beats the imagination that at a time like this when all Nigerians ought to be preaching the gospel of unity and peace, the likes of Coomasie who are supposedly statesmen, prefer to be seen as ethnic war-lords, chauvinists and tribal jingoists of the highest order. This is most unfortunate, to say the least.
Indeed, while we appreciate the constitutional right of individuals to free speech, people must be circumspect in their utterances so as not to endanger the unity, national security and peaceful co-existence of the country.
It is even more worrisome that nobody or group from the North has stoutly risen to condemn Coomasie’s provocative declaration. This disturbing silence from the North simply implies acquiescence to all that the former Inspector General of Police stands for.
It is, therefore, against this backdrop that we demand a retraction or unreserved apology from the former police boss for making such reckless and inciting statement.
We believe that if there is any section of Nigeria that should really boast of sustaining the country, it is, indeed, the Niger Delta region that produces the oil that generates over 80 per cent of the country’s revenue earnings. Going by the abundant oil deposits in the region, there is no doubt that the Niger Delta is the goose that lays the golden eggs.