Nigeria cannot achieve genuine reconciliation and healing without truth and forgiveness -Dr. Okechukwu.

In the aftermath of Nigeria’s deeply polarising 2023 general elections, questions of national unity, unresolved historical grievances, and persistent ethnic mistrust have resurfaced with renewed urgency. Against this backdrop, Dr. Dominic Nnaemeka, Okechukwu, an Abuja based medical practitioner and group Medical Director of his health facility. He is the Convener of the Forum for National Restoration (FNR) and National Reconciliation and Restoration Movement (NRRM), has launched a bold initiative aimed at confronting Nigeria’s painful past as a pathway to healing its fractured present.

In this interview, Dr. Okechukwu speaks candidly about the inspiration behind the forum, the lingering wounds of the January 1966 coup and the civil war, and why genuine reconciliation cannot occur without truth, accountability, and forgiveness. He also outlines the forum’s vision for engaging political leaders, youths, traditional institutions, and civil society in rebuilding trust and restoring Nigeria’s moral and national foundations. He spoke with the Publisher, Mr. Kalu Okoronkwo, excerpts.

Q: Thank you, sir, and congratulations on the successful National Reconciliation and Restoration Planning Conference. For public record, what inspired the creation of the forum?

As stated in our mission statement, what inspired this forum was what I witnessed during the run-up to the 2023 elections. I observed deep divisions, bitterness, and anger that was palpable across society just because of election that should be a normal civic duty. I felt strongly that we could not continue this way as a nation

When I began to examine the root causes of this bitterness, I discovered that most of it was not directly related to the 2023 election itself, but rather to unresolved political crises from the past. Further investigation revealed that in the North, the January 15, 1966 coup remains a deeply painful memory with the loss of their highly revered leaders that resulted so much pain that still hurts bitterly.

In the East, their bitterness is rooted in the civil war, during which countless lives were lost and huge number of properties destroyed. I felt we needed to confront these issues head-on, bury the ghosts of our past, and create a better future for ourselves and for generations to come. That conviction led to the formation of the organization, Forum for National Restoration, which today gave birth to this movement, National Reconciliation and Restoration Movement. It is a special purpose platform created sole for the cause.

Q: Nigeria has faced many historical challenges, the coups, the civil war, youth restiveness, and widespread anger. Which specific issues does the forum aim to resolve?

There is a quote from Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister that says that, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you can see”. And another from Benard Odogwu, a former Nigeria diplomat and Military Intelligence Chief of the defunct Biafra Republic, that says “we must know about the past to interpret the present”

The goal of the movement is to address the root cause of these grievances by going back to the catalystic event of January 15^th coup of 1966. And then, to the other major events that followed, which are the massacre of 1966, the 29^th July counter coup and the civil war. The goal is to genuinely address the wounds of these our bitter past that have been identified as a precursor for most challenges we are facing today as a nation. I am of the firm belief that, if we take deliberate steps to sincerely address and heal these wounds, most of the challenges confronting us today will become a mirage and Nigeria will move forward.

How do you think the healing will be achieved?

True healing requires knowledge of the wrongs that were committed, condemning what was evil, appreciating what was done right, identifying the aggrieved and taken corrective steps. We need to genuinely forgive one another of the grievances associated with these bitter events because healing comes with forgiveness. But forgiveness cannot occur unless people understand where they went wrong and are ready to acknowledge and seek forgiveness from the aggrieved. This is where the truth comes in. Some people cannot ask for forgiveness, when they believe they did something wrong, or when they do not understand the full picture of how things went wrong. This is why they must dispassionately interrogate these our bitter past. If all sides in the past conflicts acknowledge where they went wrong and are ready to mutually appeal and forgive each other, true reconciliation and healing will occur. Without reconciliation, there will be no healing. Once healing occurs, grievances will fade. Only then can we come together and say “ Never Again” Never gain can we draw sword against one another, Never again can we dance on the blood of one another. It is only then that the true and object of national conversation can occur. Today, national conversations are driven by bitterness, bias and unresolved pains rather than sincerity. Unless this is addressed, we will continue going in circles and passing laws that solve nothing.

Q: So, the core objective of the forum is healing?

Yes. Healing is essential so that we can think clearly and properly address the challenges confronting the nation.

Q: Given current ethnic and political tensions, youth restiveness, banditry, and secessionist agitations, what immediate impact can Nigerians expect from the forum?

Our immediate impact is encouraging every Nigerian to support the effort of the government in containing and resolving this crisis. And also in letting the youth know that there is hope for Nigeria if we can address the root cause of their grievances. The root cause is essentially embedded in the myriad of problems arising from unresolved events of the past.

Take for example, the youth restiveness in the South-East. Much of it is rooted in agitation for an independent Biafran state as a result of perceived injustices the youth belief are deliberate punishment following the defeat in the Civil War. They feel that if they have an independent state of Biafra those injustices will disappear. When this organization succeeds in bringing national reconciliation and healing through forgiveness, these injustices- both real and imagined will be objectively addressed and the agitators will see no reason for further agitation. An Igbo adage says that “when a child eats what is keeping him awake, he will start feeling sleepy”. Many of the youths believe that an independent state will automatically guarantee freedom and justice. But that may not be the situation in some cases, as separation may tend to solve a perceived problem and thereafter, throws up a more daunting problem. The best bait remains addressing the fundamental problems in the spirit of national unity and so that everyone will have a sense of belonging and stay together as one entity.

If one also traces the insurgency in the North, it also has its root in these past events. If youths are gainfully employed, would they be recruited by non-state actors? The first coup and the military regimes that followed disrupted the well-focused first republic. Northern leadership identified agriculture as the biggest employer of labour in North and tacitly developed that sector. After the civil war, agriculture, the backbone of youth employment, was abandoned in favour of oil wealth by the succeeding northern leadership that took over. Groundnut pyramids in the North, the cotton farm and animal husbandry suffered with the teeming youth population at the receiving end. The same happened to the palm and rubber plantations in the East, and cocoa in the West.

If we address these structural failures, restiveness will have no substrate for incubation. These problems persist because we interpret everything through ethnic lenses entrenched by the grievances of our bitter past rather than with a sense of statesmanship.

Q: Do you see this forum as Nigeria’s last hope for unity?

No. I see it as one step among many. Different people are working in different ways toward national unity. I am simply contributing within my own little quota. When these diverse efforts come together, Nigeria can move forward. Even a small effort, when sustained, can grow into something transformative. I have seen highly prejudiced people change their perceptions and see things differently after my discussion with them on these events. That alone is an appreciable progress. Most people are enveloped in their own bitterness based on the perception of what they know of these event without at all trying to see from the side of the view of the other. Interestingly, once we are able to make someone see what the other has suffered, his caustic view and feeling against another changes. This is so relieving. We can make it.

Q: What role should political leaders, traditional rulers, and civil society play in this process?

Political leaders can support reconciliation by helping in propagating the message of forgiveness and redressing of injustices of the past. Those that have suffered obvious and verifiable injustices should be identified and compensated where possible or at worst, acknowledged and appealed to by the government. Politicians can take this up. Reconciliation accompanied with justice will bring permanent healing. Other nations have done it and the result was profound.

Traditional rulers are opinion leaders, and their role is critical. Traditional rulers can guide their people by speaking truthfully about the past and condemning wrongdoing even when it involves their own side. They should not keep silent. One of our findings in the course of advocacy for national healing and reconciliation is that tribalism or ethnicity bias is Nigeria’s greatest enemy. Silence by leaders in the moment of injustice has historically deepened mistrust and prepares the ground for revenge and rebellion. Leaders must speak out against injustice, no matter, who is involved and where it is observed, irrespective of who is perpetrating it. Unfortunately, what we see in Nigeria and what we observed with what happened in these past events is that leaders spoke out against injustice only when it effected them or their ethnic group. This shouldn’t be.

Religious leaders also have a role to play. They occupy a very important position in the eyes of the populace. They should use their office to dismantle false narrative and promote truth, tolerance, forgiveness and peaceful coexistence by appealing to the followers using the holy books that have ample references in support of these virtues.

Q: The youths were given a dedicated committee in the movement. Is that the only way they will be involved?

Not at all. The youths are central to this mission. Our aim is to enlighten and disabuse their mind of distorted historical narratives that fuel hatred. Once their minds are freed, cooperation becomes possible.

The youths may not control resources, but they wield enormous influence through advocacy and digital platforms. Their role in shaping national consciousness is indispensable. Youths are being encouraged to form the habit of verifying issues before taking a stand. Not every narrative projected in social media is true.

Q: You mentioned books prepared for this mission. What are their titles, and when will they be released?

We cannot give specific dates for their release yet, until they are completed. One is titled “The Igbo Coup Controversy of January 15th Coup of 1966: A Dispassionate Interrogation”. It is completed. It examines the January 15 coup and addresses misconceptions surrounding it, using verifiable historical facts.

The second book, “The Nigerian Political Crisis of 1966,” brings together the January coup, the July counter-coup, and the civil war in a single volume. It presents the verifiable truth of the events and addressed some common misconceptions that had continued to breed and sustain bitterness and hatred. The two books are meant to serve as comprehensive reference document for the National Truth and Reconciliation Conference were are working towards.

Q: Throw a little light into this proposed National Truth and Reconciliation Conference

This will be a forum where effected Nigerian will come and express their feelings over the pains of these events and also correct the wrong narrative. It is based on the fact that truth heals. Surviving actors still alive can come forward and put records right for the sake of the younger generation. Without truth there cannot be genuine reconciliation. This will be done in the spirit of national unity and healing and not bitterness and animosity. And, at the end, leaders will hold hands together, forgive each other and declare that, “Never Again”. Those that needed to be compensated based on government discretion should be compensated thereafter.

This is where the government and politicians are needed most to play a role.

Q: Finally, as a Nigerian and a medical doctor, what Nigeria do you hope to see before you retire?

I dream of a prosperous Nigeria where people are judged by their nationalism, not their ethnicity; where leaders place national interest above personal gain; and where every citizen feels a true sense of belonging.

I believe that if we remain committed to this path, Nigeria will enter a new era of greatness. That belief, and that hope, is what drives me.

I am of the firm belief that when this happens, everything in Nigeria including the medical profession will experience a transformation for good. This I belief, will happen sooner than later, if we do not relent.