Senator Seriake Dickson
Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson, has penned a personal message to President Bola Tinubu over Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. The lawmaker emphatically called for a political solution that would lead to Kanu’s release.
He said this should be anchored on terms that would bring about the cessation of violence, the return of normalcy, and full integration for all. According to Dickson, “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.”
While joining other Nigerians to 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, he expressed sympathy for all victims and the losses they had incurred and continue to suffer even to this day.
“As a former police officer and a senior lawyer (former Attorney General), I feel personally touched when security officers are attacked and killed. We condemn violence and lawlessness wherever they occur. 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 to date, around the world,” he said, but cautioned that “such 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 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.
“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,” he noted, while urging President Tinubu to borrow a leaf from the Niger Delta Amnesty programme.
“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, with this conviction and sentencing irrespective of the outcome of the appellate processes which the defendants are entitled to pursue), begin a peace process that will get Nnamdi Kanu and the tendency he represents in the South East to renounce violence as a tool for pursuing their separatist agenda.
“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 founded on fairness, inclusion, and justice for all.
“This is why we have continuously advocated for a restructured Nigeria, and the President—who was one of the leaders of this movement in NADECO and the Alliance for Democracy—is in a better position to make it happen. He will have our fullest support in doing so.
“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 also 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 to 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.
“I call 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.
“As everyone knows, I am available for any engagement that can lead to a restructured Nigeria that will work for all,” he further stated.
