Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has said that the Nigerian civil war could have been avoided if reason was allowed to prevail.
The governor made this known in an address on Monday to mark the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Umuahia, stating that the millions of lives lost during the war would remain a long-standing dent in the history of the country.
Otto applauded the selflessness of the men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces in making sure that the lives, property and territorial integrity of the nation are intact.
He regretted that the country is currently distressed by domestic insecurity and increasing feelings of uncertainty, adding that Nigeria’s security architecture is overstretched by internal disruptions all over the country.
The Abia governor however, commended the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for fearlessly battling terrorism and kidnapping, as well as attacking religious and political extremism and maintaining the unity of the nation.
“The events leading to the civil war and the war itself were very tragic and could have been avoided if reason had been allowed to prevail at certain critical points.
“The shedding of the blood of millions of people, especially innocent, non-combatant women, children and the elderly, would remain a long-standing stain on our history and there should be no attempt to downplay that; even then, history would also record the quick attempts at reconciliation and reintegration initiated by the military itself as an eternal redeeming gesture,” he said.
Otti worried that some Nigerians, mostly the elite, have not learnt from the occurrences of the civil war and have also declined the need to go by constructive dialogue and nation-building.
He warned Nigerians against instigating division and hate with provocative rhetoric, clannish divisions and inciting young people to attack others, adding that such practices dwindle the enormous inter-generational price that has kept the country as one from the pre-Independence days.
He called for improved welfare for retired soldiers and their families, saying that doing so would further encourage the morale of officers still in service to discharge their duties effectively, as, according to him, serving and retired servicemen in the Armed Forces have not been receiving quality welfare commensurate with their sacrifices.
He recalled how his administration partnered with the various security formations in the state to destroy several operational bases of kidnappers and other criminals and promised that all security formations in Abia would continue to receive adequate support from his administration.
He also identified some ex-servicemen for special recognition.
“It is in the light of this that we recognise some of our heroes who laid down their lives recently for the State. They are Captain E.S. Akpan, (N16811), 542 SIGNALS, Corporal Rasheed Yusuf, (13NA/69/1891), 144 BATTALION; Lance Corporal Yau Yunusa, (17NA/76/2800), 143 BATTALION. May their gentle souls rest in peace,” Otti said.