A former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), on Sunday, urged President Bola Tinubu to summon the political will to name those waging war against the country and their sponsors.
Mr Olanipekun, who described Tinubu as the inheritor of the current insecurity, added that he should not reap what he did not sow.
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Speaking at the 29th edition of the Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme and the 6th Empowerment Programme in his hometown of Ikere-Ekiti, he stated that many people claim to be citizens of Nigeria but do not genuinely love the country and are working against its interests.
The legal icon said the worsening situation suggests that some Nigerians are actively undermining the country by sponsoring insurrection, describing them as internal saboteurs whose actions and inactions have contributed significantly to Nigeria’s instability.
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Mr Olanipekun argued that such acts would not be tolerated in developed countries, where national interest is sacred, warning that Nigeria cannot continue to overlook the ignoble role some individuals, who hide behind political and regional interests, play in promoting instability.
“I sympathise with President Tinubu. And any time I see him, I tell him, I say, Mr President, I don’t envy you. He will say, ‘My lawyer, I applied for this job.’ So, he will say, ‘Don’t sympathise with me.’ But I sympathise with him because the problems have been there.
“But we should stop pretending as if we don’t know the problems are there. However, my idea and suggestion regarding this is to stop pretending as if we don’t know those who are waging the war and their sponsors.
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“If we know them, why can’t we expose them? That is the essence of being a nation. You can’t do some of these things without consequences. You can’t do it in America and get away with it. You can’t sabotage your country. You can’t work against the interests of your country. You can’t be planting war against your country and you are living with that country.
“Why are we deceiving ourselves? Are we pretending as if we don’t know those who are waging war against this country? So, why are we not naming names? Why are we not calling this spade by its name?
“Why are we describing spade as an agricultural instrument? Why will it take a Trump to tell us that ‘please wake up, put your house in order,’ when we know those who are desecrating the house? People talk in this country as if they’re above the law.
“The way out is for the government to do the needful, to name the names. We don’t need any external intervention,” he said.
Proffering solutions to the persistent security challenges, Mr Olanipekun renewed his call for regional federalism, declaring that restructuring Nigeria along regional lines remains the most realistic pathway to achieving sustainable stability.
He noted that devolving more powers to the regions while retaining core national responsibilities at the centre would not only strengthen the governance architecture but also improve security coordination, reduce tension, and promote healthier competition among the federating units.
Mr Olanipekun maintained that a regional structure would offer a more coherent and efficient framework for managing the country’s diversity and addressing several challenges that differ across the regions.
He said, “I want to plead and I’m have been pleading it. I’ve been preaching it. It is time for us to heal wounds. It’s a time for us to say, look, how do we live together? How do we create a bridge that will not collapse in the next few years? And that comes back, it takes us to what I’ve been saying.
“What can save Nigeria today is regional federalism. Through the regions, we can integrate properly, and I have been saying this since Obasanjo was president and when I was also president of the Nigerian Bar Association. That is the only way out for Nigeria – regional federalism.
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“Let the regions come together and form a strong alliance. Let the residual powers be in the regions, but the powers which are traditionally meant for the centre be donated to the centre. That has been my sing song”, he added.
In his remarks at the event, the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, said those who would use their influence and resources to transform lives are the ones the country urgently needs to nurture a more educated, productive, and compassionate society.
“I read through the speech of Chief Olanipekun and from the beginning to the end, Chief was talking about compassion, sympathy and giving. I also listened to the chairman. He spoke in the same way. So, the lesson for us today is to ask ourselves, what are we living for? You don’t need to be as rich as Chief to give. No matter where you are and who you are, God has created us to add value to our neighbours and the Bible says love your neighbour as thyself.”
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