IN Nigeria, 2015 began with numerous prophecies from several prophets who foresaw doom and disintegration once this year’s general elections are concluded. Conversely, the period coincided with the renewed vigour of former Head of State, Major-General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s quiet domestic diplomacy in the quest for enduring peace.

Even, long before then, he had been making visionary projections and pragmatic efforts that helped nullify predictions that Nigeria would disintegrate by 2015. For instance, on October 18, 2013, he strongly expressed his conviction that despite the growing fear of a possible breakup of the country by 2015, those drumming for disintegration of the country would be disappointed, as the umbilical cord of the federating units cannot be separated. According to Abdulsalami, “God has joined us together. Whether you break Nigeria into pieces, we will remain joined by our umbilical cord. No matter what happens, our umbilical cord is still there. We will live together either as neighbours or as communities.”

As a concerned elder seeing beyond present realities, he had consistently warned about the implications of various actions and decisions in the North and the nation. For example, while emphasizing the urgent need to end the insurgency in the North and allow peace to reign, he emphatically warned that it will take the North nothing less than about 20 years to clear the mess created by insecurity.

Before, during and after the 2015 general elections, Abdulsalami Abubakar’s passionate commitment towards ensuring peace helped Nigeria to successfully navigate landmines that political interests had laid at various points. Three days after the presidential election, Abdulsalami, who heads the 2015 Elections Peace Committee, was at the new Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja to commend President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat to the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the committee was in the Villa to ensure that peace was maintained in the country and that he was happy that President Jonathan had already called Gen. Buhari before the committee arrived at the Villa. He said: “We were here to ensure peace is maintained at this moment; we thank Nigerians and all international community who came to support during the elections.

The elections have been very peaceful despite the hitches here and there. At the end of the elections, at the counting that there are a lot of upheavals that have happened but thankfully, they have been contained.

“We were at the middle of a meeting with the international observers to try to see how we can still water the tension down, when gladly I called Gen. Buhari that we are going to see him, he told me that Mr. President has called him at about 5:15 p.m. and congratulated him and conceded defeat.

“We were spell bound and the reason we have come here is to thank President Jonathan for this statesmanship. In the history of Nigeria, I think this is the first time where a contestant has called his rival to congratulate him and through this point, President Jonathan maintained a point that the blood of Nigerians is not worth his presidency and by his action he has proved that.

“He has proved that he is a man of his word‎ because during our interaction on this peace committee, he has always maintained that he is going to accept the result of the elections whichever way it is done. And he has proved this.”

Before the elections, the Abdulsalami Abubakar Peace Committee had drawn Buhari and Jonathan together to secure a second peace pact against post-election violence. The two candidates had earlier signed one when US Secretary of State, John Kerry, visited them. For millions of Nigerian citizens, the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, had consistently expressed his message of peaceful electioneering. He was once quoted to have said: “Without peace, development cannot be achieved. The people should be peaceful. For democracy to strive, they should embrace peace.”

For a man, who holds on to this credo of peace, it was not surprising that he was one of the first visitors to the Presidential Villa on a day President Goodluck Jonathan poured cold water on the burning tension across the land by not only conceding defeat but also speaking on the imperative for peace if Nigeria must move forward. He must feel proud that his interventions yielded the kind of result that has sent the entire country on a wild celebration.

Now in his twilight years, General Abdulsalami Abubakar can cast a retrospective glance backwards to behold the hands of destiny and joyfully, carry on with the quest for peace and consensus-building even as the nation is set for another democratic experience under a different government with a different ideology.