The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Sunday warned that
those agitating for Nigeria’s breakup from the South East as well as the
northern groups that issued ultimatum to Igbos risked jail terms.
Speaking when he met traditional rulers from South East at
the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Osinbajo warned that such actions violated
Nigeria’s laws.
The Acting
President noted that the manner of the agitations, method and objective were
wrong, unlawful and a violation of the nation’s Constitution.
According to Osinbajo, “I want to repeat
that both the agitations for secession and the ultimatum to leave the northern
states are wrong and a violation of our Constitution.
“Our Constitution says in Section 2 that
Nigeria is one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state to be known by the
name `The Federal Republic of Nigeria’.
“That is the law of our country. Let us
not be in any doubt about the fact that the Federal Government is committed to
ensuring that our country remains united.
“And, anyone who violates the law in the
manner such as we are seeing all over the place will be met with the full force
of the law.
“The reason why it is so is because for
Nigeria’s unity, enough blood has been spilled and many hundreds of thousands
of lives have been lost.’’
He recalled that many Nigerians had paid
the supreme price to keep the country united.
He said, “It will be wrong for men and
women of goodwill in this generation to toy with those sacrifices that had been
made’’.
“Many have to do with perceived
marginalization; some have argued that safety in the different zones has been
compromised.
“But I want to say the only way to make
things right is to do things right. And, it will be wrong of us to approach
even our grievances by threatening to disobey the laws or by threatening the
integrity of our nation.’’
He assured that Federal Government was
commitment to listening to “all the reasons, the various suggestions and the various
agitations and the reasons for those agitations and to ensure that we do
justice to all persons regardless of where you are from in this country.”
He said, “That is the commitment of
Federal Government which I am able to make to you today.
“Our greatness lies in our being together
and I believe very strongly that as our royal fathers you will ensure the
message is clear to all.”
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