Monday, February 26, 2001
ANNOUNCE THIS LETTER TO YOUR FRIENDS

By Nkodo Akpaninyang



These Abdulsalami Lecture Series!!!

've noted with interests the comments for and against the lecture series by General Abdulsalami and as a Nigerian I believe my voice should be heard.

I'll start by noting that we've gone through a lot in course of a nationhood set up by colonial authorities, some families 've lost so much that time cannot heal such wounds and I do sympathise and pray for them.

However, there's need for the nation to move on despite the ugly and painful past. It's no news that this nation by coersion has been looted by past leaders and their collaborators, crimes 've been committed by the high and mighty against the citizenry, again it's time to move on!

If the concept of moving sounds progressive, it's time to spend energy on redefining and restructuring the nation to avoid a repeat of past painful experiences, it's the best in my opinion so that those who lost their lives for a democratic Nigeria should not die in vain. This is also the time to positive about leadership for the benefit of Nigerians unborn.

In attacking past millitary leaders, we should bear in mind that there should be no exception from the first coup in 1966 till the last, no particular section or ethnic group should be target. Some of them 've found their way into govt in executive and legislative positions and 've been moving around within and outside the country without problems, 're we saying that these ones did not loot? Or is it because of where they come from?

This is not to say that anybody who has questions to answer should be cut loose but I see a lot of ethnic coloration with the ongoing comments on the Abdulsalami lecture series which I believe should 've started in a Nigerian university. Charity according to the wisdom of our elders should start at home, again this is a free world.

Fellow Nigerians, let Abdulsalami start his lectures, let's listen, maybe one or two things might be learnt. Let IBB and Buhari attend, they 're also free Nigerians, let's turn our attention to burning issues like the Nigerian federation, a strong central government which is long outdated, national assembly members secert salaries and award of millions of naira for furniture (unheard of anywhere in the world today), an executive that places purchase of presidential jets above salaries for teachers, fuel scarcity, large and wasteful federal and state executive councils (Nigeria has 4 defence ministers, the highest in the world and extremely ridiculous considering the size and strength of our military institution), irrelevant hierachy ( there's police IG, there's Police minister, there's police service commision and there's a Justice minister and an assistant) not even the US with it's size and strength keep this number of ministers or is it China?

The in thing now is a decentralised central govt, a focused and well informed executive and a functional and responsible legislature, please raise your voices on these issues to ensure a better 'mmorrow. Enough of pretence, now the central govt is suing some states over resources in their states (whether on land or in water), this is by far more important than Abdulsalami Lectures, it's noted that people from certain sections of the country are silent, some in the senate (who were also in the army and in govt 've declared their support for the central govt citing a constitution that was written by the millitary as his reference), this needs a lot more attention.

Being an Ibibio from Akwa Ibom, this concerns me more, my position is that where Akwa Ibom ends on water also becomes the boundary for the nation called Nigeria, that is where cameroun begins!!!

Let's get serious with issues, be honest and take steps to prevent what we've already passed through. Akpaninyang (an ibibio) comments from Houston, USA.