Fellow countrymen: as you know, since the end of the operations of January 15th, it has been the duty of the Nigerian Army to restore law and order. I have come to the most difficult but most important decision of my life — the decision that we should review the issue of our national standing.
As a result of the recent events and of the previous similar ones, I have come to strongly believe that we cannot honestly and sincerely continue in this wise, as the basis for trust and confidence in our unitary system of government has not been able to stand the test of time.
Suffice it to say that, putting all considerations to the test, the base for unity is not there. Or it is so badly rocked, not only once but several times. I therefore feel that we should review the issue of our national standing and see if we can help stop the country from drifting away into utter destruction.