Nigeria stands at a critical crossroads, where the path to genuine national unity demands an honest confrontation with its turbulent history, according to the Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro). The non-governmental organisation, renowned for its advocacy for peace and national cohesion, has issued a compelling statement urging the country to stop “patching over deep scars” and expecting unity to appear without addressing the root causes of its divisions.
Executive Director AbdulRazaq Hamzat, unveiling what he described as a groundbreaking and controversial blueprint for national healing, emphasised that true reconciliation requires courage, truth, and the humility to apologise. “True reconciliation begins with truth, acknowledgement, and the courage to say, we are sorry,” he said, highlighting that national healing cannot occur without a deliberate and collective effort to confront the painful chapters of Nigeria’s past.
The PeacePro blueprint outlines a series of symbolic yet impactful apologies spanning regions, communities, institutions, ethnic groups, and religious affiliations—a move already generating intense national discussion. According to Hamzat, the South East must apologise to the Niger Delta for political manoeuvres that escalated tensions, culminating in the historic 12-Day Revolution. The region is also urged to acknowledge its role in the 1966 first military coup, a defining event that reshaped Nigeria’s political landscape.
Similarly, the North is called upon to apologise for the pogroms against the Igbo, one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history, while the Federal Government is asked to acknowledge decades of insecurity, corruption, economic hardship, and systemic governance failures. The South East is further entitled to an apology for the massive human and economic losses suffered during the Nigerian Civil War.
Hamzat also extended the call for accountability to ethnic leadership, urging the Fulani leadership to apologise to victims of banditry and herders-related violence, which have devastated communities across the country. He stressed that Nigeria’s three major ethnic groups—the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo—must recognise their historical marginalisation of minority groups and take responsibility for decades of political and cultural exclusion.
Religious tensions are not left out of the blueprint. Both Christians and Muslims are asked to apologise for mutual intolerance, and collectively acknowledge the discrimination faced by traditional worshippers. Hamzat was clear that this initiative is not about assigning blame but about exercising responsible leadership. “An apology is not weakness. It is leadership. It is maturity. It is the first step toward healing,” he said.
The blueprint calls on every region, every community, and every group in Nigeria to examine its role in shaping the nation’s troubled past while contributing to a more inclusive and peaceful future. “No group is guiltless. No community is without pain. Every side contributed to where we are. Every side must contribute to where we’re going,” Hamzat added.
PeacePro concludes its bold intervention with a plea for collective national forgiveness—not to erase history, but to build a foundation for a unified Nigeria. The organisation challenges not only government institutions but every Nigerian to choose healing over hurt and unity over division. With truth, courage, and collective accountability, the nation may finally realize the long-awaited dream of peace and cohesion that generations have sought.