Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has said that the greatest tribute that Nigerians owe to the memory of those who paid their supreme sacrifice to the nation is to always ensure that the circumstances that led to the Nigerian civil war are never re-enacted but always ensure the use of dialogue.
He stated this while speaking at a Town Hall Meeting organized by the Ken Nnamani Centre for Leadership and Development at the National War Museum Umuahia to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Nigerian civil war.
He described the Civil War as a defining national tragedy that has scared Nigerians as a people and has caused loss of opportunities for national advancement, with promising lives cut short in their primes, families ruptured, communities sacked and environments poisoned.
He however said that 50 years down the line the nation has invested in national intergration, peace building and reconciliation and further called on all to be open minded as the nation’s historical mission is to create a substantial quality, an economic and social power house capable of powering the country and continent to prosperity and real development.
The Vice President stressed the need to ensure fairness, justice and equity amongst all ethnic and religious groups, and appealed to elders to refrain from poisoning the minds of the younger generations but spur them into taking advantage of opportunities available to them in the country as well as enable their visions and aspirations to flourish untainted by the biases of the past.
He said one of the challenges of the country is the provision of opportunities and hope for the teeming youths whom he described as energetic and dynamic and extolled the South East for being home for Nigeria’s most entrepreneural sons and daughters.
Prof Osinbanjo restated government commitment to provide Nigerian youths with tools and resources that will enable them make the most of their lives through collaboration with donor agencies.
In his speech, Abia Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu stressed the need for a true national narrative where events of the war will be reviewed to chart a way forward for national unity.
According to him, Nigerians need to know where their problems started so as to heal the scars and relics in their hearts.
He appealed to the Federal Government to accord special consideration to areas that suffered serious bombardment in the State and South East zone during the Nigeria Biafra war.
The Governor extolled the Ken Nnamani Leadership and Development Centre for organizing the meeting, adding that the foundation is in a good position to begin to gather and hear from the horse’s mouth as it were what really happened so that we can say sorry to one another and say never again.
Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma called for genuine national reconciliation as a deliberate strategy for moving forward as a nation.
Earlier in a speech, the Convener of the meeting, and former Senate President, Sen. Ken Nnamani said that the event is a highly significant milestone in our life as a nation and described it as an occasion for reflection.
He said the Centre thought it appropriate to organize an event that will bring together leaders and citizens to reflect on the war and its legacies while charting a course for our common future.
The event featured an interactive session with the Vice President responding to several questions from the audience while two war veterans also spoke about their experiences during the 30 months of the war.
Religious and traditional leaders, students groups, professional associations, etc joined officials of the State Government at all levels at the event.
