Nigeria In Need Of A Healing Process Not Transition

At no time in our history as a nation have we been so divided -- divided across political, ideological, religious and tribal lines.

In 63 years as a nation, we had always managed to find a way to resolve our differences and live together despite in  diversities.

In that period since the country gained independence from British rule, it has survived a fratricidal three-year civil war, several bloody military coups, some natural and man-made disasters and so on. But each time, our resolve to continue to weather the storm and live together had often outweighed every other considerations.

We also have had our good moments -- moments when we felt proud to be called Nigerians. Great exploits of countrymen in different fields of human endeavour -- where they have carved a niche for themselves in medicine, science and technology, ICT, the arts, music, sports, business and so on -- have often accentuated our beliefs of a shared common destiny. 

But all of our achievements in the last two decades of uninterrupted democracy in which we have strived to build strong institutions looked set to be wasted with the upheavals that shook the nation to it's very foundations in the aftermath of the last General Elections.

The stakes were high -- so high to the point that certain persons would rather that the country burned than allow someone else, other than their preferred candidate become the country's president.

The 2023 General Elections was not the best in terms of conduct, management and delivery but it was no sufficient reason for us to want the country to go into extinction.

The several cases that went before the tribunals and courts was a guage of how dissatisfied most contestants were in the outcome of the elections.

We understand why candidates spend so much money in litigations, trying to win back supposed stolen mandates but it still doesn't justify any action that either calls for war or military intervention through coups.

That we even contemplated such an action or faced such a threat at all showed how desperate some politicians were.

Unfortunately, some of our people were sucked in by smooth-talking politicians who were either playing the religious or ethnic card to actualise their political dreams.

In the end, the corruption of the electoral process, the unguarded utterance and conduct of others who used the social media to promote hate and division, and the resort to subtle blackmail of the judiciary by some others, all combined to set the stage for what could led to a full-scale war.

But thank God for little mercies. We were able to yet again paper the cracks of these pressure points in our daily and national life.

Now, it is time to move on. Time to stop dwelling on what might have been and resolve to move on.

Now is the time for the healing process to begin. We must borrow a leaf from the late great sage, Nelson Mandela who insisted he would only spend a term in office despite having the opportunity to perpetuate himself in power.

We must learn from Joe Biden who knelt down for George Floyd's daughter following the bizarre manner he was murdered by a racist white policeman in 2020. 

It is time to go back to see if we can take home some lessons from Uhuru Kenyatta who once openly apologized to Laila Odinga after what transpired in the aftermath of a bitterly contested elections.

The Oputa Panel tried to replicate the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up by the South African government to heal the wounds inflicted on the nation's psyche following years of apartheid in the early years of the Olusegun Obasanjo regime.

It is time to start the healing process with the view to reconciling all, including those feeling aggrieved following the outcome of the last elections.

 It is hoped that after the Supreme Court ruling which endorsed Tinubu's government, normalcy can return to governance. The president has already reached out to his opponents in the last elections.

Much will, therefore, depend on whether such olive branch that he has extended to political rivals will be accepted for the overall common good of the country.