Buhari tells Biafran separatists to perish the thought as Nigeria remains indivisible

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has told Igbo separatists campaigning for the creation of the independent state of Biafra to bury the thought as Nigeria will remain one indivisible nation for the foreseeable future.

 

Since President Buhari assumed office in May last year, calls for the recreation of the defunct Republic of Biafra, which existed between July 1967 and January 1970 have grown. Following the arrest of Radio Biafra director Nnamdi Kanu in October last year, these calls have intensified, with his supporters organising demonstrations across the country.

 

Speaking to members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Daura yesterday, President Buhari told separatists to perish the thought, adding that the indivisibility of the country under his watch is sacrosanct. He told the corpers that in spite of the failure of leadership that engendered feelings of alienation, particularly in the south-eastern part of the country, Nigeria was still big enough for all its people to live happily together.

 

 President Buhari advised NYSC members from the southeast serving in the town to tell their colleagues agitating for Biafra to forget it. He also called on the country’s youths to make Nigeria great again through the pursuit of knowledge, patriotism and commitment to values that promote national unity.

 

“As a military commander, I walked on my feet for most of the 30 months that we fought the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, in which at least 2m Nigerians were killed. We were made by our leaders to go and fight Biafra not because of money or oil, because oil was not critical factor then but because of one Nigeria.

“So if leadership at various levels failed, it was not the fault of the rest of Nigerians who have no quarrel with one another. So please tell your colleagues that we must be together to build this country as it is big enough for us and potentially big enough in terms of resources," President Buhari added.

 

He urged the corpers to remain focused in life, pursue their dreams and reject those fanning the embers of discord and disintegration of Nigeria. President Buhari specially recognised corps members from the Niger Delta and southeastern states serving in Daura and praised the vision of former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, for setting up the scheme in 1973.