The Senator representing Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Henry Seriake Dickson, has joined south east leaders and other well meaning Nigerians to advocate for political solution to the issue of the convicted leader of the Indigenous People’s of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The leader of the proscribed group, Mazi Kanu was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by an Abuja High Court for acts of terrorism.
The former governor of Bayelsa State in a statement he personally issued and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, maintained that President Tinubu should quickly initiate and commence a peace process that will get Nnamdi Kanu free from prison.
He added that at this time, it is the duty and responsibility of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not as a politician but as a statesman and the leader of Nigeria, to begin the peace process get Kanu and the tendency he represents in the South East to renounce violence as a tool for pursuing their separatist agenda.
“I join well-meaning leaders, the people of the South East, and indeed well-meaning Nigerians to call for a political solution that will lead to the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, on terms that will bring about the cessation of violence, the return of normalcy, and full integration for all.
“This is not just for the people of the South East; I believe that this is a sentiment shared by all well-meaning Nigerians who want a united, peaceful, and just nation for all.
“All Nigerians must condemn violence, especially the type that has occurred in the South East in recent years, as well as the terrorist activities in the northern part. Our sympathy must be for all victims and the losses they have incurred and continue to suffer even to this day”, he said.
The Senator explained that as a former police officer and a senior lawyer (former Attorney General), he feels personally touched when security officers are attacked and killed, stressing that, Nigerians must begin to condemn violence and lawlessness wherever they occur.
He insisted that the President as a national imperative should initiate a broad peace process that will address historical imbalances, injustices, and grievances in all parts of the country and lay a foundation of a new Nigeria established on fairness, inclusion and justice for all.
“The Nigerian state and its institutions have reacted in the typical manner every state must respond to a challenge of this kind to its sovereignty. This is the historical reality from Mandela to Boro, and up till date, around the world. The above examples and several others globally also show that reactions by the state, by way of arrest, trial, sentencing, and even conviction and execution of agitators, do not end agitations”, he added.
Senator Dickson stressed that the solution usually lies in the initiation of a political process, midwifed by broad-minded leaders who place the national good over personal, political, and regional biases.
He insisted that the legal processes do not address separatist agitations that are political and economic in nature.
“Historically, arrests, trials, convictions, and sentencing—even executions—do not solve these kinds of agitations. After the legal processes, what must follow is a sincere and holistic political solution that will create public confidence and sustain patriotism by all. The challenge is to create a Nigeria that all can trust and believe in, one they can fight and die for if necessary.
“This is the lesson from the arrest, trial, and sentencing of Nelson Mandela, who was convicted and jailed for 27 years, and that of Isaac Adaka Boro, who led the first separatist agitation against Nigerian statehood. In all these cases, genuine progress only emerged when broad-minded leaders initiated a political process that placed national interest above personal or political grievances and biases.
“A more recent example is the peace process initiated by the Yar’Adua/ Jonathan administration, during which the government engaged leaders and agitators on resolving the Niger Delta crisis. This led to the establishment of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, which has brought relative peace and stability to the region to the benefit of the entire country.
“In view of the climate of instability and insecurity in the country, my advice to the government and security agencies is to take utmost care of the custody and safety of Nnamdi Kanu while legal and political processes last. He should not only be kept in a secure facility, he should be treated humanely, fairly, and safely.
“With the prevailing security challenges, which have overstretched the security forces, our nation should avoid opening new battlefronts, to enable the security agencies concentrate maximally on flushing out terrorism and banditry ravaging parts of our country, especially in the North.
“The President will have my full support in mobilising our national resources and working with allies to stop the ongoing ridicule and attempt to destroy the Nigerian state through persistent terrorist and fundamentalist jihadist attacks and ransom-induced banditry”, Senator Dickson stated.
He therefore called on the people of the South East, particularly the youths of Igboland, to be calm and join in the political processes that will deliver a restructured Nigeria that will work for all and address all grievances.
“As Chairman of the South-South Senate Caucus, and as one of the leaders, I have started the process of reaching out to our colleagues in the South East and across the nation to ensure that the right steps are taken for the good of the country”, he concluded.
