Nigeria needs a bloody revolution –Prof. Nwabueze (SAN)
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- Category: Society
- Published on Thursday, 08 July 2010 06:33
- Written by Sun
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Two elder statesmen, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN) and Lt. General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, yesterday in Lagos disagreed over the manner Nigeria could be transformed from its current rotten state.
While Professor Nwabueze settled for a bloody revolution to clear the mess in the country, Gen. Danjuma disagreed with him, warning that “revolution is costly and does not know either enemy or friend.”
Both eminent Nigerians spoke at the public presentation of Professor Nwabueze’s latest book; Colonialism in Africa: Ancient and Modern (Volumes 1 & 2), at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking as the author of the books, Nwabueze lamented that the country was so rotten that only bloody revolution could clean the mess up, doubting if there was any form of method that could clean up the country beside a bloody revolution. “Our society today is thoroughly rotten. To make it a better society, it must be transformed into a new one. It is a duty to ourselves and to our children to transform it and clear all the rotten mess.
“Bringing changes with all the proposed methods and reforms here and there cannot work. We have passed that stage of transformation. What we need is a surgical transformation because this country can only be changed by blood. Bloody revolution so that whoever survives would gather the pieces,” Nwabueze frankly submitted. To transform the society through bloody revolution, the former Secretary- General of Ohaneze Nd’igbo recommended reading of French Revolution history, explaining that French and Europe owed what they were today to French Revolution.
Against this backdrop, the erudite lawyer doubted if transformation of the country could be done through any other way, regretting that “things get worse every day.” But in his own speech as the chairman on the occasion, Gen. Danjuma, who is the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Council, warned against Nwabueze’s means of transformation, pointing out that “it is costly, it knows no enemy, it never knows when it is going to end.”
Although Danjuma also admitted that Nigeria needed transformation, doing it through bloody revolution, according to him could be a very costly means of transformation, enthusing that “as an optimist, I believe that one right man in position of leadership can transform our society.” While expressing optimism that “we shall have such a man very soon In sha Allah” the former Chief Of Army Staff believed that “we shall overcome and we shall muddle through.”
To him, the major disturbing event now was that law and order have broken down in the country and that there was no security any more, stating that “it is not safe anymore for my Ibo friends to go home just as even the churches are no more sanctuary of peace.” He cited examples of how prominent Nigerians were killed in the church recently and he called on the security agents to do something before the situation finally went out of hand saying “we are not safe.”
Other dignitaries who graced the occasion, praised the efforts of the author for his ceaseless efforts at dishing out highly informative and educative books for the public use, just as they described him as God sent gifts to the people of Nigeria.
Among the dignitaries were Ambassador Mathew Mbu, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu,former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, former Chairman United Bank for Africa (UBA), Chief Kuforiji Olubi, Chief Guy Ikoku, Edo State Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Osagie Obayuana and former governorship aspirant in Anambra state, Mr. Emeka Etiaba among others.
