The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: secession

  • Northern leaders reject secession – You dont cure a headache by beheading the patient

    Political, religious and traditional leaders from the six North Central states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), yesterday, have declared their opposition to any plan by any ethnic group to break away from Nigeria.

     

    The leaders, who addressed newsmen in Abuja on the platform of North Central Peoples’ Forum, said as bridge builders, they must do everything possible to keep the country one and keep the region safe.

     

     

     

    Director General of the Forum, Sule Dikeson, said they were tired of watching helplessly their people being killed by alleged foreign agents.

     

    “We should be the peace builders. We are at the centre of Nigeria. This country must remain united. If there’s crisis, the Middle Belt will suffer more. We must promote peace within our zone. Our leaders can’t watch and see our people killed.

     

    “Look at what happened in Benue State. We feel coming out with a peace summit for the zone is something our people can accommodate. Our zone should also produce the next president of this country. If we are given the opportunity to rule this country, North Central will unite this country.

     

     

     

    “This is why we feel we must come out and provide security. During the security summit, leaders of the zone will speak and tell us what the issues are and how we can do it. We don’t believe in secession. We don’t believe in the disunity of this country. We remain committed to the unity of this country.”

     

    On the planned security summit, Dikeson said prominent leaders from the region, including former heads of state, governors and National Assembly leaders would proffer solutions.

     

    “Former governors and leaders from the region will be in attendance. Former military generals and prominent persons will come. These former leaders are working on this summit and they’ll find a solution to the problems of Nigeria. Those attacking our people are foreigners who have been given the opportunity to come in and kill our people. We need to find a way to stop these people.

     

    “The conference will not be a talk shop. We are a non-partisan body. We are concerned about the security and welfare of our people. We are reaching out to the people that matter ahead of 2023. The geopolitical zone will work together and ensure whoever is qualified is given the opportunity,” he said.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • “You don’t cure headache by beheading the patient, Secession is not the way out of our challenges” – Lai Mohammed

     

    The Federal Government is working hard to improve national security and prevent all secession tendencies.

     

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who spoke in Lagos when he appeared on radio programme, yesterday, urged Nigerians not to listen to promoters of secession.

     

    He pointed out that what united Nigeria was more important than those issues threatening its continued existence.

     

    “That we have ethnicity issues is not new. IPOB, Boko Haram and farmer-herders clashes are not new; all we must do is to look for the way forward.

     

    “We are aware of them, the government is working. Secession is not the way out of our challenges. You don’t cure headache by beheading the patient. The things that unite us in Nigeria are more than what separate us.”

     

    He said Federal Government’s efforts at ensuring a united country necessitated the Town Hall meeting on security held on April 8, in Kaduna. He said the meeting which brought stakeholders together, came up with some recommendations to further secure and unite the country toward progress.

     

    Mohammed said eight ministers, lawmakers, traditional leaders, religious leaders, scholars and civil society organisations, opposition parties and security chiefs personally attended the meeting.

     

    He said the stakeholders recommended supremacy of the law, empowerment of the Police and other security agencies, as well as the need for political restructuring.

     

    According to him, all the stakeholders at the meeting were united against secession, opting for a restructured and stronger nation.

     

    He added that the meeting also recommended decentralisation, restructuring and reorganisation of the judiciary as well as training and retraining of Judges.

     

    “We cannot do these without constitutional amendment,” he said.

     

    Mohammed said the stakeholders also recommended that all Nigerian children of school age should be in schools, noting that most recruits into insurgency and banditry were out-of-school children.

     

    According to him, if the children of the poor are hungry and not educated, the rich will not be able to sleep.

     

    He added that the meeting also recommended the recruitment of more Policemen with more training to all security personnel.

     

    “The stakeholders also recommended that security operatives be equipped with modern equipment to boost efficiency necessary to win the trust and confidence of the people.”

     

    The minister advised religious leaders and traditional leaders to encourage what the Constitution says about inter-ethnic marriages to forestall secession.

     

    “Those who support separation and secession will be the first to run away when any problem starts. We should not listen to them as many of them have about four passports of other countries.”

     

    He said the stakeholders recommended state Police and the need for the National Assembly and state assemblies to support it “because all security is local.”

     

    Mohammed said the meeting also recommended that traditional leaders should be encouraged to perform their assigned roles in line with the 1979 constitution.

     

    He said the group also recommended autonomy to local governments and to allow their statutory allocation go directly to them for security, education and infrastructural development at the grassroots.

     

    “The stakeholders also recommended the establishment of ranches and grazing reserves with necessary amenities such as water, education and healthcare facilities for humans and livestocks,” Mohammed further said.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com