President of the Foundation for Peace and Non-Violence in Nigeria, and hero of the Niger Delta Amnesty programme, Mr. Onengiya Erekosuma, has said Gumi deserves praise not attacks for his efforts toward helping the country overcome its security challenges.
Erekosuma who stated this in an interview with New Telegraph, said results of amnesty granted to Niger Delta militants by the late Yar'adua government, has shown that amnesty works, and believes Gumi is doing the right thing by pursuing a non-violent solution to the security problems in the northern part of the country.
Responding to question on whether or not he supports Gumi's pursuit of amnesty for bandits, he said, "Is it not very clear that the government has been overwhelmed, and does not know what to do? You too can see that Nigeria military has been overstretched to a breaking point in tackling insecurity? What you should be asking me is, how did we come to this mess?
"Is military confrontation the best solution? If we count our losses, we would know that something is very wrong with our approach and there is the need to change our approach. You see why I have to commend Dr. Sheik Abubakar Gumi and his likes for their persistent efforts and call to use the nonviolence approach rather than military confrontation in handling the present case of insecurity.
"The idea of my friend and brother, Dr. Gumi, is about telling the world that the nonviolence approach can and will end insecurity in the North and any other part of the country, only if our people will get to see and understand the gain in what Gumi has stated."
"We will have to thank him again and again, and yes, you will not see him asking for amnesty again, because what we are asking for now, will be better than the gains of amnesty to Nigeria to have better peace, that will end all kinds of insecurity and killings," he added.
Meanwhile Gumi in a recent reaction to the call for bandits to be declared as terrorists, said doing so would be a grave mistake unless the destruction of the North West is something government wants to achieve.
He said, “NE is already and is still devastated by this madness for over 12 years. If we allow, terror, to set in into these raw naïve unexposed bandits, NW will be in ruins sooner than later. Already IPOB is destroying SE, and Igboho has set the ball of confusion rolling in SW. For those who want to destroy the NW, it’s a good recipe. Turn bandits into religious zealots. Tell me, what then remains of Nigeria?”
“I have started to get these raw bandits out of their misadventure but unfortunately, I have few helpers and a mountain of antagonists. The psychology in fighting natives is to induce a motive for their struggle if they don’t have one already, a motive that is manageable, and it is so managed. Unfortunately, reactions to threat in our nation are always slow and incoherent.
“I hope another Igbo clergy goes into the IPOB militants likewise and talk sense into them, and another Pastor of Oduduwa land talks against the Igboho secessionist tribal movement by way of sensitising people to the values of a cohesive nationalism that will guaranty freedom, equality, and justice for all. Religious forces can permeate hardened hearts where secular forces cannot.
“Regrettably, people just sit down in the comfort of their rooms or parlours and make useless passing comments that only add fuel to the inferno of ethnic jingoism and bigotry. In the 21st century, Nigeria is hijacked by semi-illiterates and half-baked tribal heroes that have nothing to offer besides promoting tribal xenophobia.
"Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groupings, it’s not possible to divide such a nation into tribal enclaves. Nigeria is multi-religious, even with one same religion or sect there is no harmony and understanding that can build a prosperous unified nation where tranquillity and development will flourish. We are tired of these bogus destructive fruitless slogans!
“Nigerians are in a daydream so long they act by nerval impulses, not by the dictates of their cerebral cortex,” he said.