Letter: Can Nigeria be pulled back from the brink?

Sir: General Babangida and his cohorts have by their recent actions (the annulment of the 12 June presidential elections won by Chief Moshood Abiola) placed the future peace and stability of Nigeria at grave risk ('A cynical use ofcivil war fears', 13 August).

No doubt their intention was to perpetuate their stay in power, which they now hope to achieve by appointing an unelected interim government composed of civilians and senior military officers to take over power on 27 August.

The election of 12 June has been the fairest and most decisive since independence. The cancellation of the 12 June polls has irked and astonished Nigerians, especially the Yorubas from southwestern Nigeria, where Chief Abiola hails from.

One's ferverent prayer is that another version of the Biafran holocaust is not replayed, but I cannot help feeling that history is about to repeat itself.

It is a sad fact that flash points during Nigeria's short but chequered political history can be more or less attributed to a few powerful individuals.

We Nigerians believe that our country deserves more than this avertible but looming strife. I hope General Babangida and his cabal reconsider and give democracy a chance by handing over the reins

of government to the people's choice.

Yours sincerely,

JULIUS O. ADASONIA

London, WC1

14 August