Biafra: Referendum only way out – PDP BoT chair

By Mohammed Yangida, Lafi a and Tope Musowo, Lagos

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustee (BoT) Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, has said that it “is only referendum that will give Biafra Independence, and not quit notice.” He stated this yesterday while speaking with newsmen in Nasarawa, Nasarawa local government area of Nasarawa state. He said he would not support any thing by any group to bring division in the country, adding that peace and unity were the necessary requirements for the development of any nation.

“If truly the Igbo want their country, Biafra independence, it is only referendum that will grant Igbo independence,” he said, adding that due process must be followed before granting independence to any country. He called on Nigerians to see themselves as one. Jibrin also advised some politicians and stakeholders who, according to him, have form the habit of instigating the youth to foment trouble in the society to desist from such act, saying that they should rather always off er positive advice to the youth for the growth and development of the nation.

He urged Nigerians to be law-abiding, “respect constituted authorities and shun negative tendencies at all the times interest of peace and national development.” Meanwhile, prominent Southern leaders, on the platform of YIIEGBA, have emphasised the need to chart a new path that “will lead Nigeria out of her current predicaments and stop the drum beats of war.” Th e leaders, who said their name “connotes cry of anguish and shout of victory,” at a meeting held yesterday in Lagos, canvassed for unity, particularly in the South and across the country to “build a strong, workable and viable Nigeria.”

Th e leaders included scholar and Igbo leader, Prof. Anya O. Anya; Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Christopher Kolade; former Minister of Foreign Aff airs, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (retd); former governor of Anambra state, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; a chieftain of Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; former Director of Ground Operation in Nigeria Airways, Captain Prokeme Porbeni (retd); Dr. Amos Akingba and Yinka Odumakin. Th e meeting, which was cochaired by Anya and Kolade, was convened in response to the recent threats and quit ultimatum given by the Arewa youth to Nigerians of Igbo extraction residing in the northern part of the country. In his address, Kolade who said it was imperative to stay together in order to build a stronger and viable Nigeria, stressed the need to have a peaceful, productive and progressive country, adding that “the only way this can be achieved is to stand in unity.”

“Nothing should defeat this purpose. Th e gathering is not looking for any political, ethnic or selfi sh affi nity, but purely the good and the progress of Nigeria. Whatever you are or wherever you are coming from, the utmost good and unity of Nigeria, where everybody will progress and benefi t from the God-given endowments in this nation, is our goal,” he said. Anya, in his remarks, said there was the need to explore everything that needed to be explored to create a foundation for a new Nigeria. He said: “We need a Nigeria that would be fair to all, peaceful and where everybody irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds, would feel free. We need a country that would put its citizens to work and not war and in which all will benefi t and not few individuals.”

On the agitation for restructuring, the scholar commended former Military Heads of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Ibrahim Babangida (retd), and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for lending their voices for Nigeria to be restructured. “Th eir voices have added credence to the call to reform Nigeria and you can be rest assured that the battle to get Nigeria reformed is half won.

Th e reason we elders are coming out now is because the country is at a point where we could no longer sit on the sideline. Th e journey to get a new Nigeria has begun.” In his comments, Ezeife warned that time was running out for Nigeria to get restructured, adding that “if we don’t get restructured between now and next year, we may lose the country.” Th e former governor emphasised the need to “go back to the type of Nigeria, which our founding fathers agreed on that is regionalism and true federating units.” Ezeife further urged the federal government to “create a body that will deal with restructuring between now and next year, even if it will involve a referendum.” Adebanjo, on his part, encouraged those who were still skeptical about the trending relationship between the South-east, South-west and the South-south elders to see beyond their doubts.

He added that the bond was not a gang-up, as some people tended to believe, “but rather to further make stronger the call to reform the present skewed system.” Th e Charter presented after the meeting by the elders stressed the acceptability of the equality of all mankind, whether male or female. It also posited that based on the bitter African experience, “war and violent expressions have produced no benefi ts, instead dialogue should be encouraged at all times and the non-violent approach adopted to re-engineer our diversities as a strength rather than weakness.” It also harped on the fact that “the legitimacy of all forms of government should be based on the consent of the governed and must exist solely for the better life of citizens in the form of security, education, healthcare, and social welfare.” Th e Charter added that “working in this new light of mutual respect and equity on the platform of universal brotherhood, Nigeria can reverse and engineer the negative programming behind Africa’s fractals of failure.”

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