From Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has praised his colleagues in the South-East for meeting with leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday, August 30, 2017.
The meeting, said Fayose, provided a veritable platform, which the Igbo should key into “otherwise they will remain guinea pig as long as this country exists.”
The governor urged the Federal Government to allow political solutions to agitations by Nigerians as against the use of brute force and added that he remains committed to the call for full and total restructuring of Nigeria through dialogue and negotiation. The governor declared it is too late for Nigeria to disintegrate.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti yesterday, Fayose said he was “particularly glad that South-East governors have come to the realisation that they cannot ignore their own in times like these as agitations are normal and must not be ignored, although the approach should be handled with caution.”
He blamed President Muhammadu Buhari’s actions and utterances for agitations in the country.
“The father figure of this country is president Buhari and, if his language does not represent unity, there will be agitations like we are seeing now. A father figure rallies even the bad boys in his house. The utterances and actions of Buhari, when he became president, were against the unity of this country.
“How can a president say he will only attend to the needs of those who gave him 97 percent vote and neglect others who did not vote for him? For Nigeria to move forward and in unity, there must be no sectionalism, there must be no oppression and there must be justice and equity.”
“The governor, who commended northern leaders for standing up to ensure that the Arewa youths’ quit notice against Igbo in the North was resolved and withdrawn without arresting and detaining anyone, added: “I am sure that the same can be achieved by Igbo leaders as arresting or re-arresting Kanu may be counter-productive; it may be perceived as vilification of the entire South-East, not necessarily Kanu as a person.”
The statement read in part: “This meeting has provided a veritable platform, which the Igbo must key into otherwise they will remain guinea pig as long as this country exists.
“That Eze Israel Kanu, father of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi and elderstatesman, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, were part of the meeting is a sign of strong determination and unity on the part of the South-East leaders and their governors, which I believe will end up in the amicable resolution of all issues involved, especially by pro-Biafra activists and IPOB.
“While I appeal to the federal government to allow political solutions to agitations by Nigerians as against the use of brute force, which, regrettably, has become the hallmark of this administration, I remain committed to the call for full and total restructuring of Nigeria through dialogue and negotiation. Even though it is too late for Nigeria to disintegrate, we do not need the All Progressives Congress kind of restructuring.
“Once again, I salute my brother governors from the South-East for their historic meeting of yesterday and I urge them not to relent in their efforts to bring lasting peace and harmony to their region.
“I also commend the IPOB leader, Kanu for his display of humility and commitment to peace by attending the meeting and enjoin him to cooperate with leaders of the region.”