TheCable

George Ehusani, a catholic priest and an author, says Nigeria as a national entity is on the verge of collapse.

Ehusani said this on Friday while delivering a keynote address at the annual lecture organised by the Just Friends Club of Nigeria (JFCN) in Abuja.

JFCN is a socio-cultural organisation that encourages oneness among members and carries out philanthropic activities.

Speaking at the event, Ehusani said there’s an unprecedented level of impunity in Nigeria, with several cases of kidnap, and attacks on villages, police stations and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said the government appears incapable or unwilling to perform its primary duty of protecting the lives and property of citizens.

“Nigeria as a national entity is on the verge of collapse. All the indices of state failure are in place,” he said.

“Many of the farming communities in Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Adamawa, Taraba, and Borno States, have become killing fields from which everyone is fleeing for their lives. Our well-educated, highly skilled, most brilliant, and most promising young professionals are fleeing the country in droves.

“Nigeria was not designed to be the monster it has become today, recklessly devouring its children, and callously inflicting pain and distress on the most talented and patriotic of its people. The original terms agreed upon by the founding fathers of Nigeria have been severely violated and senselessly brutalised by both military adventurists and civilian conquerors.”

The cleric said in order to save Nigeria, a restructuring founded on sound knowledge, and competence must be done.

“The ignominious system has endured for so long, largely because of the appalling state of illiteracy and political ignorance across the country. Schools and colleges, religious institutions, progressive political parties, and all manner of civil society organisations, must begin to invest heavily in civic and political education at the grassroots level,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, Fred Ohwahwa, president of the JFCN, said while politicians must allow voters to perform their civic duties by voting for candidates of their choice, citizens must not think the election will solve all the country’s problems.

“Politicians must learn to be civil and recognise that elections are not war. They should also recognise that all of us, including their opponents, have something to contribute to the good of this country,” he said.

“Nigerians should recognise that there will be life after elections and that we should learn to manage our expectations. We should not think that the election will be a cure for all our problems. We need to change our ways, restructure our country and have better standards.”