Rivers is not part of Biafra, says Wike

Nyesom Wike, governor of River state, says agitations
for the break-up of Nigeria will not solve the country’s
problems.

Speaking at the palace of the sultan of Sokoto on
Tuesday, the governor said his state would not be part
of any agitation for the break-up of the country.

He said every nation has its challenges, and as such
Nigeria’s leaders must find lasting solutions to the
problems of country.

He added that there were better ways to solve the
country’s problems than to agitate for a break-up.

“Rivers state and its people believe in the oneness and
unity of Nigeria and that is our stand. In Sokoto, we
have a father in the sultan. In fact, he is a father to all
Nigerians and he is a peace builder in this country and
beyond,” he said.

“I have also been friends with governor of Sokoto
state, Aminu Tambuwal since before his emergence as
a speaker of the house of representatives and this will
be sustained despite the fact that we belong to
different political parties.”

Earlier, Tambuwal, who accompanied Wike, said the
visit came at a good time, restating his belief in the
unity of Nigeria.

The governor also said the visit would help to
strengthen the bond of unity between the two states.

In his remarks, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the
sultan, said agitations in the country were symptoms
of the rot in the system.

According to him, a lot of things had gone wrong in the
past, but hope is not lost.

“A lot of things were done in the past by some people
with impunity and nothing was done. That is why you
find shortage of good governance now weighing us
down in the country. However, as it is now, no matter
how bad your hand is, you cannot cut it and throw
away,” he said.

The sultan emphasised the need to adopt dialogue to
resolve all the misunderstandings and problems in the
country.

The monarch said Nigerians should sit together, brain-
storm, look at what went wrong, retrace their steps
and move forward. He appealed to statesmen in the
nation to wade in, in this direction.

“We are not short of statesmen across Nigeria and
they should help the country by championing the
dialogue,” he added.

TheCable