{{Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Joseph Habineza, has said Nigeria problem is greed rather than religion and ethnicity.}}
The envoy was speaking in Abuja at the weekend at a press briefing in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
He noted that religion and ethnicity had been used as tools of manipulation by politicians, saying delegates at the National Conference should not to elevate the issue of religion which he said is personal.
He warned that Nigerians should learn from Rwanda’s tragic past.
This year’s celebration, which will take place on April 13, is titled: “Remember-Unite-Renew.”
Habineza said, “the ongoing national conference is a good thing but first of all, individually, the delegates should have self-transformation, because you can be in the conference and from there you go and call your friend, who is a member of Boko Haram, to attack. So nothing is going to come out from there if you are not committed to the peace of your country.”
Habineza also added that whether a Christian or a Muslim, everyone should realise that the two religions were adopted.
“These are manipulations of the politicians. So our tragic history should be a lesson for Nigeria. Why should somebody be killed on what he believes in? So this celebration should not only be for Rwandans but for the whole world that division, segregation, bad leadership, can lead to killings, genocide,” he said.
He explained that with the resources available in the country, every Nigerian should have access to decent and affordable house if these are productively used.
According to him, “Nigerians should have a nice house, water; just what you have here. Look at your land, so fertile, and you import tomatoes; the oil, the gas, minerals that even people don’t know. You focus on that and make it productive. So they should think about the people, not about themselves, the delegates who are there; not talking about how much we are getting from here.
“The fact is there are bad politicians and there are good politicians but the bad ones are so evil; they can use all means to get what they want.”
He further advised those calling for secession to have a re-orientation as those who called for war were often being the first victims.
Habineza, who recalled the 1994 crisis of his country, attributed it to the same kind of manipulation, first by the colonial power on the one hand and the country’s politicians on the other hand.
He said, “This kind of indoctrination, brainwashing, mixed with poverty brought Rwanda to that end. We have to blame ourselves and the colonials also. The agenda then was to divide the country because they found it difficult to believe that a society can be well structured and organised like Rwanda. This is our past and we have learnt from it. It is a lesson to the whole world.
“Coming to our experience, a week before the tragedy, I met somebody who was an adviser to the late president, a former ambassador to Germany. He was a very close friend to my parents and we were discussing politics. The president was supposed to implement the Arusha Agreement…So I met this adviser and I said your Excellency, uncle, why don’t you advise the president to implement the Arusha Agreement?
“He said my son, in politics, it is like a tug-of-war, which if it is cut, you fall. You see, it can’t be cut because we are the majority…but he doesn’t know that if you think like that, you can be the first victim and your family members too may be killed. If you are thinking of bringing the war, you can be the first victim. But you know what happens, that ambassador, unfortunately, died in the plane with the president.”
Habineza therefore advised the delegates and other Nigerians in position of authority to see their present status as an opportunity to serve the people and not to serve themselves.
“I think politicians should remember they are public servants because once you are serving, you are rendering service, and not that you are serving yourself.”
{worldstage}
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