Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Pat Utomi, and several other stakeholders converged at the Muson Centre, Lagos, on Monday to deliberate on the crisis of post-civil war national reconciliation 50 years after the Biafran war.
It was learned that the dialogue entitled ‘Never Again’, is put together to reflect on the post-war injustice and the a subsequent threats to national integration and Nigeria’s nation building since the civil war ended in January 1970.
Prof Anya Anya, chairman of the roundtable, was of the belief that violence cannot provide the solution to the problems facing the nation.
Anya cautioned that Nigeria must learn from the mistakes of the past and what some say was a failure of leadership. He maintained that Nigeria is not the only country that has gone through such a situation as the civil war, adding that losing a war was not necessarily a badge of failure.
Major General Obi Umahi (rtd), a participant at the dialogue, advocated that history must be brought back into the nation’s education and school syllabus. He emphasized the imperatives to sensitise Nigerians on the need for forgiveness, healing, and national cohesion.
General Umahi enjoined Nigerians to see the present situation in the country as a moment for national reflection, noting that there was an urgent need to build bridges of unity and peace.
Professor Pat Utomi in his keynote address, lamented the collapse of culture as one of the major problems of the country.
He, therefore, called for urgent attention and a joint effort to fix the problem.
Meanwhile, the federal government is marking the 2020 armed forces remembrance day on January 15. Activities have been in top gear in the past one month.