The US diplomat made the statement during an interview he granted the
BBC World Service Radio on January 30, 2015, Friday, saying some of the
needed structures for February 14 polls are not in place particularly
in the north eastern parts of the country.
To buttress his claim, Lyman stated that Nigerian elites have failed
to agree on how to proceed on next month’s election, power sharing or
bringing an end to the Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed thousands
of innocent lives across Nigeria.
“In this circumstance, I think whoever wins the election there is going to be violence and a lot of uncertainties that won’t address the major problems the country is facing,” he said.
While commenting on the way out for the West African nation, the American diplomat advised Nigerian elites and others to take a time out to come together to make sure things work in the right direction.
Lyman added that what borders him the most was that Nigerian elites
have not come together to address the Boko Haram insurgency as a
national crisis rather it’s become a political football between two
sides.
According to Lyman, “this is one of the reasons the Islamist militants sect has been able to extend itself so much.”
He urged Nigeria to come together and address the Boko Haram issue
“not as a regional crisis but crisis that has to have national focus and
attention.”
Lyman also called for reforming the military and other security services which he says could require national consensus.
He says he don’t think Nigeria would break as a result of the outcome of next month’s presidential polls but cautioned that the election would be contentious no matter who wins.
The diplomat concluded by saying that he hopes the Nigerian government would be able to put things right in the country but said the drop in crude oil price would pose a big challenge to the government.
Voters wait patiently for INEC officials.
“In this circumstance, I think whoever wins the election there is going to be violence and a lot of uncertainties that won’t address the major problems the country is facing,” he said.
President Barack Obama and Princeton Lyman.
While commenting on the way out for the West African nation, the American diplomat advised Nigerian elites and others to take a time out to come together to make sure things work in the right direction.
According to Lyman, “this is one of the reasons the Islamist militants sect has been able to extend itself so much.”
Boko Haram insurgents.
He says he don’t think Nigeria would break as a result of the outcome of next month’s presidential polls but cautioned that the election would be contentious no matter who wins.
The diplomat concluded by saying that he hopes the Nigerian government would be able to put things right in the country but said the drop in crude oil price would pose a big challenge to the government.
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