Obasanjo Calls For National Reconciliation March 14, 2000 Paul Ejime PANA Correspondent LAGOS, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has enjoined his restive compatriots to confess their sins and embrace genuine reconciliation following three weeks of bloody religious and ethnic turbulence in the land. In a speech Monday to mark the Commonwealth Day, which dwelt extensively on the national crises, he said Nigerians should "confess (their) individual and collective sins in this land where so much innocent blood has been spilled." The sectarian conflict, over the introduction of the Islamic Sharia law in the Moslem-dominated north, has pitted Christians against Moslems, resulting in more than 300 deaths and massive destruction to property. This has evoked reprisal attacks fuelled by inciting statements from both sides amid growing call for the separation of the ethnically-diverse and multi-religious federation of 36 states. Obasanjo urged "Christians and Moslems alike, during (this) Lent and Id el Fitr period to pray for forgiveness, genuine reconciliation, brotherhood and good neighbourliness." Visibly shaken, but sounding rather prophetic, the president assured Nigerians "that we have a divine visitation and work in our nation. God has come to rescue, deliver and redeem Nigeria." Obasanjo, who said he was personally "saddened" by the events of the past three weeks, noted that "men and women can only delay that plan of God, but they cannot derail it." Describing the events as "unfortunate," he added that they had rather strengthened his resolve and commitment to the service of Nigeria. "It is highly mischievous and extremely unpatriotic, to say the least, to make further emotional capital of the very sad situation with unfounded claims of marginalisation or campaigns for confederation, or separatism in any form," he warned. Turning to the theme of the Commonwealth Day, 'The Challenge Of Communication', Obasanjo counselled that the "shadow of tragedy over our country today challenges us to communicate effectively and meaningfully with one another". But he said the recommended communication "must not be talking at cross purposes. It must not be talking at each other and it must not be posturing or playing to the gallery of ill-formed audience." It was interesting that Obasanjo had to use the platform of the British-led Commonwealth, to which Nigeria was only readmitted in October after a five-year suspension, to dwell on his country's crises. He reassured Nigeria's international friends and investors that "the (tragic) events are both mere bumps on the very rough road to re-building and reviving our nation." "There is absolutely no evidence of permanent damage, we are most certainly going to surmount the temporary obstacle," he added. He said that most Nigerians were already "putting the tragedy behind them and working together, Moslems and Christians, for collective progress." But while Obasanjo sounded conciliatory on the religious conflagration, his spokesman has read the riot act to those he called government detractors. Doyin Okupe warned that government's reconciliatory posture, should not be misconstrued as a sign of weakness. "The enemies of this administration who hide under the cloak of religious piety to try to destabilise it, would fail," he told reporters Sunday. He added that government had the capacity "to act decisively against any person or groups of persons who may wish to either by overt or covert acts, disrupt the peace of this nation or bring government to disrepute." Okupe also insisted that government is seeking a political rather than legal solution to the Sharia debacle. He argued that a legal solution could trigger greater chaos and pandemonium since none of the northern state governors that have either introduced or were about to introduce Sharia, had disagreed with the Council of State's decision suspending the implementation of Sharia. A suit against the Zamfara state government, which first introduced Sharia in October, is pending before a Gusau High Court. It was filed by a human rights group seeking a constitutional interpretation of Sharia status, as well as the limit of state or federal government involvement in religious matter. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 2000 Panafrican News Agency. All Rights Reserved. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------