In spite of the threat to peace, unity and security which the secessionists’ agitations and issuance of ultimatums by various ethnic groups is posing to the country, a Professor of History in the University of Ibadan has chosen to see these commotions in a positive light.

Speaking with CEOAfrica at a University lecture recently delivered by the Director of the Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies (IPSS), University of Ibadan, Prof Isaac Albert, the Head of History Department in the University of Ibadan, Professor Christopher Bankole Ndubisi Ogbobo stated that the agitations by the various groups is positive for the country as it will force policy makers to the negotiating table.

According to Prof Ogbogbo “What is clearly manifesting is the discontent against injustice, inequity and lack of fair play. What all these will do is to force all of us to sit down to address these challenges. When a group is benefitting and others are feeling uncomfortable, there is no way they will gladly relinquish what they think are their privileges.

“But with this, everybody will be forced to go back to the negotiating table and reconfigure a Nigeria that will be beneficial to all Nigerians. So, I see it from that perspective as something positive for this country. Clearly, we were not moving forward but the voices of insurrection we are hearing will force us to rethink our strategy,” the Professor stated.

Professor Ogbogbo who is also the President of Historical Society of Nigeria, commended the efforts of the Senate in demanding for a bill based on the 2014 National Conference Report. He said “That document (Confab Report) and its recommendations were meant to reconfigure Nigeria. We cannot run away from those recommendations. They are now calling for it because the polity has been heated up and we are now forced to talk about our future as a people and as a country.”

Expressing certainty and a strong believe in a united Nigeria, the Professor stated that the bonds of unity that holds Nigeria together as a country are far stronger that the things that are threatening to pull the nation apart. “It is only if our leaders don’t rise to the occasion of addressing these issues of injustice – which I believe they will do – that we can begin to worry.

“The ruling class, which is selfish by the way, cannot afford to lose a united country. So, they will be forced to readjust. That readjustment will bring in fairness, equity and good governance. If we restructure Nigeria properly, we are better off, rather than dividing into separate countries. So, a restructured Nigeria where we can all exhibit and maximise our potentials will be much better for all Nigerians,” Professor Ogbogbo stressed.

The cause of these crises, according to the Professor of History, is as a result of the nation’s lost sense of history. “When a people lose their sense of history, they become rudderless and it will take history to bring us back on course. Why are some people talking about regionalism? They are going back to our history. So, a sense of history, which we have always advocated for, will keep us on course. That will be our national compass,” the Professor admonished.