Protests: Calls for military takeover, a recipe for disaster – Ihekire warns

Retired Major-General Collins Ihekire has strongly condemned calls for a military takeover of the government, warning that it would be a recipe for disaster for Nigeria.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Gen. Ihekire, a former Commander of the African Union Mission in Darfur, Sudan, described the calls as irresponsible, ill-advised, and ill-motivated and urged those behind them to desist.

He argued that military rule would only lead to dictatorship, divisiveness, and a lack of accountability, citing the country’s past experiences with military governance.

According to him, history has shown that military rule in Nigeria was divisive, creating ethnic, religious, and geopolitical acrimony between the federating units.

Gen. Ihekire further expressed concern that the calls for a military takeover were a brazen desperation to destabilize the country and return her to the dark days of military misrule.

He questioned the motives of those advocating for a military takeover, asking if they had considered the consequences of such an action.

Gen. Ihekire emphasized that Nigeria’s challenges could only be resolved through democratic means, urging those dissatisfied with the current government to seek redress through the National Assembly.

He maintained that the worst democratic government is better than the best military rule any day, warning that attempting to overthrow the democratically-elected government would be a dangerous signal that something was wrong with those advocating for it.

His words: “I vehemently condemn in the strongest terms, the irresponsible, ill-advised, ill-motivated calls by anti-democratic elements for military take-over of government.

“Nobody in his right senses would prescribe military rule because the military rules with dictatorship that cannot be accountable to the people.

“History has shown that military rule in Nigeria was divisive, thereby creating ethnic, religious and geopolitical acrimony between the federating units in the nation.

“Nigeria is facing challenges that can only be resolved by a democratically elected government with the political will to effect the needed socioeconomic and political restructuring.

“Did you rate the last administration of Buhari, which was in reality a quasi military regime? Have you asked what all the billions of dollars borrowed by the Muhammad Buhari government during his eight years in office were used for?

“If you asked me, I would subscribe to the position that, for Nigeria, the worst democratic government is better than the best military rule any day.

“How can you be shouting that your problem is a faulty Constitution foisted on you by the military and now that you have a democratically elected government… you start contemplating military takeover?

“Is that not a dangerous signal that something is wrong with those advocating for military take-over? Is that not a signal that you can not survive in a democratically sanitized environment?”