Military Takeover: Oshiomhole Shares His Thought

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomole disagrees with those calling for military to take over the government with force, in view of incessant killings, banditry and kidnapping, caused by some miscreants in the country.

He described the call as ‘irresponsible’, saying that; “never will unelected leaders rule the country again.”

Oshiomole who spoke recently in Abuja during a courtesy call by leadership of Law Students Association of Nigeria (LAWSON) with an invitation to their forthcoming National Conference on Rule of Law said recent call by legal luminary, Chief Roberts Clarke on a national television for a military intervention in governance in order to fix the country’s festering security challenges and to carry out restructuring of the country was not the best for the country.

He said the call is not only unlawful but, military rule is not fashionable and acceptable any longer arround the globe.

“The parliamentary system was overthrown by the Nigerian military, that is on record. Who created 12 states from the four regions by decree?

The current 36 states and FCT, were all created by military decree; how can anybody who has lived through and who is familiar with our journey as a nation think that the solution to our problems is to handover to the military?

I thought, talking about the rule of law is treason.

“I watched on a national television one of your senior colleagues, Chief Robert Clarke, I was shocked when I saw him calling on the President to handover to the military, I thought that was the hight of irresponsibility, giving his knowledge, giving his age and a very senior member of the bar; what is it that he wanted?

“He wants a military that will restructure Nigeria. It is again for me senseless because the structure as it is today was put in place by the same military.

“You know we have freedom of speech but it does not include the freedom to canvass unlawful means to effect a change. When you canvas unlawful means, then you should be arraigned before a court of law and dealt with according to the law. Ignorance is not even an excuse in law.

“I think, even in our moment of distress and regardless of what anybody thinks, the world resolved and Nigeria too, that never again shall we be governed by an unelected government, never, we don’t want unelected Angels,” he noted.

The former Edo State Governor and Labour Leader further buttressed that many issues suffer under military rule pointing that for a learned icon like Clark to make this call, should appologise to Nigerians.

He called on Nigerians to have faith in the country, inspite of challenges bedvilling the country, saying, “I won’t give up on Nigeria and we must not give up,” he stated.

While talking on increasing wave of agitation for separation, Oshiomhole berràted such agitators describing them as “poor students of history,” saing; “I am also, not agreeing with those who think of dis-membering Nigeria.

“They say let everybody go his way. Nigeria is not a reality. Those ones are poor students of history.

“Why is Europe spending so much time forming the European Union to create a larger market? Recently we signed the African Trade Agreement so that Nigeria can access a bigger market.

“We already have a local market of 200 million. If we can keep it flourishing and increase the purchasing power of citizens, we are good to go.”

In his earlier remarks, leader of delegation, Blessing Agbomhere said the association resolved to have the former APC leader as their guest speaker at a National Conference on Rule of Law because of his antecedent both in and out of government also, as labour leader.