Nigeria charts bold course to heal wounds of history.

…As National Reconciliation and Restoration Movement emerges.

Nigeria is finally confronting the shadows that have haunted its soul for nearly six decades. At a historic summit in Abuja, held at the National Merit House recently, the Forum for National Restoration launched the National Reconciliation and Restoration Movement, with representatives drawn from the Afenifere, Northern Elders Forum, Ohanaeze Indigbo, Igbo Elders Consultative, Pan Niger Delta Forum and Ijaw National Congress.

Other groups include; Nigerian Labour Congress( NLC) National Council for Women Society (NCWS), National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) National Youth Parliament (NYP) Jamaattul Nasril Islam,JNI, Nigeria Inter Religious Council comprising (Christian Association of Nigeria and Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) among others, with a view to heal the scars of the January 1966 coup, the July 1966 counter-coup, and the civil war, beside other historic wounds that, according to the Forum, “have continued to divide and hold us down as a nation.”

The new chapter of national healing was set in motion at the end of its landmark Planning and Enlightenment Summit on National Truth and Reconciliation.In a Communique issued after the Planning and Enlightenment Summit, Convener and Chairman Forum for National Restoration, Dr. D. N. Okechukwu, emphasized that the initiative is not a political tool but a patriotic mission.
In his words “Nigeria cannot continue to stumble forward under the weight of unresolved pain and distrust. This movement is about truth, reconciliation, and restoring our nation to her rightful place of glory. The time has come for honest dialogue, forgiveness, and the courage to heal.”he said

As enlisted in the communique after the Planning and Enlightenment Forum, the following were the resolution passed;

1. Truth before Reconciliation: The national process will unfold in two stages first, a conference to establish and verify the facts of the events; and second, a reconciliation stage where leaders from all regions will publicly commit to forgiveness and unity.
2. Guided by Principles: Every activity will be anchored on truth, objectivity, respect for religion and ethnicity, dignity of all parties, and strict non-political engagement.
3. The participants agreed that there will be a committee of the whole house known as National Reconciliation and Restoration Committee involving all the members and shall be divided into sub-committees to spread responsibilities such as; Contact and Mobilization, Finance, Youth Research/Review, Strategy/Planning, Strategy, and Media/Publicity.
4. Firm Rejection of Coups: The movement unanimously denounced military intervention as an illegitimate means of governance, stressing that only lawful processes should address grievances.
5. Knowledge for Posterity: Research publications will be launched to document and clarify contested historical narratives.
6. National Outreach: In between conferences, elders will embark on symbolic visits to regions scarred by past violence to demonstrate unity in action.
The Movement further called on government institutions to lend their full support, noting that reconciliation without state backing risks remaining a mere aspiration, said Major General A.B Mamman, Patron Forum for National Reconciliation. “This is not about reopening old wounds but about stitching them up properly so that they do not continue to bleed. If Nigeria must become the nation we dream of, then we must summon the courage to face our past, forgive one another, and move forward together,” Gen. Mamman said.

The Communique also hinted that timing and dates for the programme outlined during the planning stage shall be communicated to the public after due consultation with relevant authorities.

With this initiative, the Forum hopes to establish a national template for truth, reconciliation, and unity, one that can later be applied to other divisive challenges confronting Nigeria today.