- By Halimah Olamide
A former Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade has warned those mooting the insurrection in Kenya as an option for Nigeria to stop the idea.
Olukolade who now heads the Centre for Crisis Communication as its Chairman, Board of Trustees, said some people are of the thinking that the current economic challenges in Nigeria could be confronted with massive protests such as the one that is happening in the East African country.
Addressing newsmen on the centre’s Conflict Trends Analysis (CTA) for the second quarter on Monday in Abuja, he said the centre was concerned about the antics of those who are mooting the idea of re-enacting in Nigeria, the recent anti-tax crisis that rocked Kenya.
According to him, they believe that such destructive protests in Nigeria will be the surest way of getting the government to solve our current economic challenges.
He said that much as the right to protest was guaranteed in the nation’s constitution, any form of destruction and violence in the name of protest should be avoided.
According to him, the Kenyan experience is not and should not be our democratic model.
“Violence has no redeeming quality and any action that will lead to violence and destruction should be discouraged.
“Nigeria is already assailed by multifaceted internal security challenges, and any call for violent protests will simply open the country up for opportunistic criminals.
“They will take advantage and cause mayhem, destroy public facilities and endanger our peaceful existence.
“The aftermath of ‘EndSars Protest’ is still fresh in our minds and we therefore call on our youths to shun anything that will engender crisis and destruction in any part of our country,” he said.
Kolade called on the government to do more to de-escalate the tension in the polity by proactively addressing all the prevailing challenges confronting the nation.
He said the centre was deeply concerned about the rising tension and restiveness in some parts of the country.
The chairman said that the recent escalation of violent rhetoric and provocative posturing by some stakeholders, has the potential to turn to violent conflict and aggravate the internal security challenges assailing the country.
Kolade called on the government, organised private sector and labour to quickly resolve the issue of minimum wage that has pitted organised labour against the Federal Government.
He said that the protracted political feud in Rivers also featured prominently in their conflict trend assessment.
Kolade urged all parties to the political crisis to sheathe their swords, avoid inflammatory rhetoric and allow the judicial intervention to take its course.
According to him, the tense situation in Kano where the Emirship tussle has remained unresolved for a couple of months now equally presents a huge potential for violent crisis.
“Though known for its peculiar volatility, Kano has remained relatively stable, peaceful and less troubled by terrorism/banditry, compared to states around it, until the Emirship issue came up.
“Like we urged in the Rivers situation, parties to the Emirship tussle and their supporters must remain calm and temperate in their communication while waiting for the outcome of the judicial process,” he added.
The former defence spokesman said the centre was poised to continue to analyse the situations confronting the nation, and suggest ways to address them to the relevant agencies of government.
He said the prevalence of fake news and hate speeches in the media space, especially in the social media platforms were dangerous to the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.
The chairman urged all citizens to embrace peace and security, and to refrain from any actions that may further exacerbate the situation.
He appealed to political, religious and community leaders to work together to address the underlying issues driving this tension.