President Muhammedu Buhari has urged Nigerians to go about their lawful businesses as the country’s unity is not negotiable.
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, revealed this to State House Correspondents on Thursday, after paying a visit to the President.
Bello said the Nigerian leader stressed this when the Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari, led him to brief the President on the suspension of the strike to block supply of foodstuffs and cattle to the southern part of Nigeria by the Amalgamated Union of Food and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AFUCDN).
Governor Bello, who helped broker peace among the parties involved in the matter, said President Buhari commended the efforts to resolve the crisis.
He said: “Mr. President expressed concern over the insecurity in the land. As the commander in chief, he has assured every one of us based on his security meeting yesterday, that Nigeria is going to be secured, safe and prosperous and I believe in him 100 percent.
“He urged every one of us to continue to go about our lawful businesses in the country, that Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable, that Nigeria must be united, peaceful and that Nigeria must be prosperous.”
Asked if other parts of the country will not want to toe the line of AFUCDN and make similar demands, Bello said: “As regards the issue of the strike that took place and efforts to make sure it does not happen again, there were demands that were put forward by the amalgamated union, which has to do with compensation for lives and properties lost.
“Because, these are people who never requested that the government should give themselves subvention, this is their personal wealth and income and they are carrying on their lawful and peaceful businesses.
“But criminals took it upon themselves to hijack the process, kill these people in their hundreds of destroyed properties worth billions of naira. Those that were killed, their families, the properties that were lost, where are they going to start from? They are demanding that the federal government should do something and remember they’ve gone round the country, met various authorities and you know, they never received any attention. Hence, they embarked on that particular strike.
While highlighting the demands of the foodstuff and cattle dealers, the Governor said the President has already directed that extortion of money from them on the highway must stop.
He said there were plans for reprisal attacks but that has been put to rest, due to government’s timely intervention.
“They are demanding that the various extortion that takes place on our roads, starting from law enforcement agencies in some cases, and touts in most cases be stopped. And I thank God, Mr. President, has given directive to that effect, that all law enforcement agencies should ensure that traders should not be extorted on the road again. Yes, of course, from the point of loading and point of offloading they can pay the tax as required and they’ve been compliant.
“So, they are asking that extortions be stopped and also that those who kill their members be brought to justice. I don’t think they’re asking for too much. So, if those demands are met, or at least, attempts have been made to meet those demands, and if they can graciously respect, Mr. President, respect us and sympathize with Nigerians and call off their strike and begin the supply of food, and other items to all parts of this country, I think it behoves on us to equally meet them midway so that there’ll be no such occurrence again, anyway.
“And remember that the crisis was snowballing into a major national catastrophe whereby some other parts of this country were gearing up for reprisal attacks in this country and setting us up for a crisis. Meanwhile, those who set up the crisis, that is what they want to achieve.
“We can’t afford to allow this country to snowball into civil war again, not this time around. We are so much interwoven that we are inseparable, again, by marriage, by business investments, by politics, and every other form of development. Nigeria is so interwoven that we shouldn’t allow any few bad elements, however, lowly placed or however highly placed, come and divide us again, it is not possible.
“So, this, I think, if the federal government or the authorities take responsibility and do or attend to it, I think such a strike will not repeat itself again,” he said.
Political Ambition
On insinuations that his intervention in the crisis was to oil his 2023 presidential ambition, he said: “Thank you very much. I am not running away from the fact that numerous teaming youths, Nigerians, both women, youth, leaders and followers, various groups are calling me to contest for the presidential election in 2023. That is their rights, it is within their purview to ask for that of demanding that I run as their representative in government today.
“But I have an assignment to carry out, the assignment of ensuring that my state is safe and secured. We’re doing that effectively by providing leadership in Kogi state. We’re taking Kogi state from where it used to be in the past, to a more united prosperous, safe and secured Kogi state. Today, they’re asking me to replicate the same on the national level, that is within their rights. But to say that, when there is another call of an assignment from the commander in chief on me, to ensure that a little problem that can be solved, should not be allowed to snowball into a larger crisis that would put this country on unknown collision cause, I think I will never hesitate to take up that responsibility, and that I have done successfully to the glory of God and to the satisfaction of majority of Nigerian and Mr. President.
He adds that the north and south are having free flow of food, goods and services and the government is working towards lasting peace and tranquility.
Lateefah Ibrahim
