ABUJA- FORMER Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufia, has said Nigeria was currently facing existential threat.
He also noted that the Niger Delta had been playing the role of holding the country together.
El- Rufai, who spoke during a condolence visit to the residence of the late Chief Edwin Clark in Abuja, said the nation’s democracy was also in great danger, and called on all people of goodwill to come together to ensure the country does not implode.
He said Clark’s leadership role in rallying the people of the Niger Delta, has contributed to the sustainability, growth and development of the country.
According to him, if the Midwest had joined Biafra during the civil war, Nigeria would have gone. He said the Mid West could not have played that role but for patriotic individuals, such as the late General Samuel Ogbemudia, Major David Ejoor and Chief Edwin Clark, among others.
The former Kaduna governor said: “Our nation, our democracy is in great danger, it is facing existential threat and the Niger Delta has been the glue that has been holding the country together. All people of goodwill must come together to ensure that we have good leadership,”
El- Rufai, urged the people of the Niger Delta to continue with the good work of Pa Clark, affirming that he (Clark) really played a fatherly role through out his lifetime.
He said: “I think the legacy of E.K. Clark and the work he has done should remind us all of the importance of being courageous, standing up for justice and risking everything for Nigeria.
“I’ve been working on a project to write about the legacies of our six living former Presidents of Nigeria. Nigeria is very lucky. We are the only country in the world with six former presidents still alive, still active.
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‘’I thought we are not making the best use of their experiences as well as their mistakes. So, from January last year, I started research and I reached all the former Presidents and we are working on publishing this book, by the grace of God, by the middle of next year because it requires doing several years of research, but then also interviewing the former Presidents and asking them some difficult questions.
‘’One of the questions I was going to ask President Babangida was June 12, he has answered it but there are more I want to ask him when the time comes.
“I am happy to say that all the former Presidents have agreed on the project they think is important because we tend to forget what good things our leaders have done, but only remember one or two of their mistakes.
‘’Taking Babangida as an example, people don’t realize that the three largest banks in Nigeria today did not exist before Babangida. It was Babangida that licenced Guarantee Trust Bank, Access and Zenith Banks. These are the three largest banks in Nigeria. They didn’t exist before Babangida came but nobody gives him the credit.”
“So, these books we want to write are to tease out some of this. Nobody gives Vice President Atiku Abubakar the credit for leading the economic policy making under the Obasanjo’s administration. Many of the things we heard under the economic team under his leadership; maybe because we don’t write a lot, and people don’t read history, we tend to forget, we only remember negative things.
“I think it’s part of human nature to remember only negative things, to forget positive things. I’m honoured and humbled to come with Vice President Atiku Abubakar to condole this family and commend the works that E.K. Clark has done.
‘’I call on you as a family to please continue this good work. The legacies of E.K. Clark, particularly my brother … and we have worked very closely together.
“Let me begin with condolences to the family. I’ve already called the family to condole them because I was not in the country when this happened. And I was very happy when this opportunity presented itself for us to be here.
‘’Chief E.K. Clark was not just an Ijaw leader or Niger Delta leader; he was a father to all of us. I first met him when I returned from exile. By then President Jonathan was acting President. And all persons of goodwill were looking for solutions to stabilize the country and Chief Clark called me, and I came to the house and we had discussions, and by the grace of God, the country was stabilized.
“But today, we can only celebrate the contributions of Chief E.K. Clark. Those of us old enough knew when he was the federal commissioner then. He was a distinguished Nigerian who fought for justice for everyone. He spoke for justice, and was very vocal and courageous in his convictions.
“He never keeps quiet whenever he sees injustice anywhere and injustice to one is injustice to all, as far as Chief E.K. Clark was concerned. So, I have been a regular visitor here and we have worked together on many issues, under the leadership of chief and as our Oga has said, I think the country has lost an icon. May his soul rest in perfect peace, amen!’
‘’For those that want to see Nigeria break up, or engage in violence, or ethnic or religious violence, I worked with Ebi on a committee trying to improve the electricity supply situation under the leadership Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
‘’I was very impressed with his intellect, with his knowledge. He was representing the CBN but he was the brain behind everything you’ve seen the CBN did, as far as power sector intervention was concerned.’’
