President Muhammadu Buhari has said that anyone who survived the Nigerian Civil War, which lasted three years, will never advocate for another war in the country.
He stated this on Tuesday night while breaking fast with members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), mainly his Ministers, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Nigerian Civil War, which lasted for two-and-half years, was a war fought by federal troops to counter the secession of Biafra (old eastern region) from the rest of Nigeria. An estimated two million civilians, mostly women and children, died from diseases and starvation as a result of the bloody conflict.
Buhari, who fought the war on the Nigerian side, said “Nigeria is a (sic) one united nation, which can never be divided by anybody’s selfish interest”.
He, therefore, urged his Ministers and indeed, Nigerians at large to pray for the peace and continued unity of the country.
The president noted the month of Ramadan as a special time when God listens and answers prayers of the faithful.
He said: “It strengthens our resolve to build our country to make it stronger and to make sure that the incoming generations are sufficiently motivated to be patriotic.
“It is no news that we are the biggest country in Africa, we are the economy engine of Africa, which are true by the way. But, we must always be patriotic in our dealings with others.
“This (Ramadan) month of prayers and service to God, let us keep on these prayers all the times, believing that God in His infinite mercy will listen to our prayers, give us peace, security and better the economy once more, so that we can quickly rebuild and even do more for the country.
“Let me assure that the time of Ramadan is making us more conscious of what leaders at every level ought to do, and leading the people is not a joke. It means accepting responsibilities for good or wrong”, he said.
The president further recalled the economic challenges and the agitations for the sovereign state of Biafra.
“We need a lot of prayer. Certainly, with the nation’s economy going down. We haven’t developed the agriculture; we are still trying to talk on those who will come and develop the solid mineral for us.
“The militants in their various homes, we need to reflect very seriously on what happened between 1967 and 1970 where about two million Nigerians lost their lives.
“And at that time, as young military officers, you hardly heard of anything about petroleum or whatever money you got from it.
“Look at what Gen. Gowon said; ‘To keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done’ and every soldier whether he has been to school or not, knew what the General meant.
“But, we were quarreling with our brothers, we were not fighting an enemy and then somebody is saying that once again he wants Biafra.
“I think this is because he was not born when there was Biafra. We have to reflect on the historical antecedent to appreciate what is before us now and what we intend to leave for our children and our grand-children”, Buhari counseled.
President Buhari also thanked the ministers and other members of the cabinet who have identified with his government despite all odds.
Speaking on behalf of the FEC members, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo expressed gratitude to the president for inviting them to break the fast with him.
