With elections looming in Nigeria I hope all the aggrieved communities who were victims of ethnic violence can adopt the Madiba spirit of forgiveness 

Ayo Akinfe 

[1] No matter how you cut it, no human being has taught the world forgiveness and magnanimity like Madiba 

[2] He spent 27 years in prison and showed no anger about it at all 

[3] Despite decades of the brutal oppression of his people, he still found it within himself to forgive their oppressors 

[4] Madiba left behind a rainbow nation in which all South Africans, be they Xhosa, Zulu, Khoi, Asian, White, Bantu, etc, all felt they belonged 

[5] I hope that the forthcoming Nigerian elections are characterised with this kind of Madiba spirit of magnanimity 

[6] It will take a lot for the victims of Fulani herdsmen violence to let the matter go 

[7] Likewise, those who have been victims of Boko Haram terrorism will find it hard to forgive and forget

 
[8] However, in the Madiba spirit, we have no choice but to forgive and move on

 
[9] All those calling for secession, balkanisation, etc, are just lashing out in anger. There is no logic to their argument. We are another rainbow nation of 350 ethnic groups. The third most diverse nation on earth behind Papua New Guinea and Indonesia

[10] I just hope no politicians play the ethnic card as the 2023 polls loom