Against the October 1 ultimatum issued by a group of Northern Youths under the aegis of Coalition of Northern Youths (CNY), former Abia State Governor , Dr. Orji Kalu has commended the governors of the 19 Northern states for their commitment to the indivisibility of Nigeria, noting that their actions will go a long way in further strengthening the peaceful co-existence among all ethnic groups.
According to Kalu, the threat by the CNY is unfair, uncivilized and barbaric, noting that national peace is not negotiable.
He noted that the heterogeneous nature of Nigeria should be seen as an advantage ,stressing that regardless of ethnic, religious and political sentiments, Nigerians are known to be peace loving and accommodating.
Speaking with a group of Igbo businessmen who paid him a visit in Lagos on Thursday, Kalu called on Ndigbo to be calm, steadfast and law abiding .
He said, “It is a known fact Igbo are the salt of the nation. The entreprenuership drive of Ndigbo has contributed immensely to the growth and development of Nigeria. “Ndigbo should be celebrated for providing employment opportunities and wealth to the teeming Nigerian populace through their enormous investments across the country, out of which N45trillion is in the North”.
The former governor further added, “as a statesman, I am an advocate of peace and harmony and we shall continue to spread the message of togetherness, brotherhood, patriotism and selflessness.
“In a society, differences are bound to occur but they should be resolved amicably without disrespect to the rule of law.
“Even in a family, husband and wife do quarrel over trivial issues but it usually resolved at bedtime or over dinner.
“We should adopt mechanisms of peaceful conflict resolution when there are grievances”
While calling on MASSOB, IPOB and others to convey their agiatations to appropriate authorities through dialogue, constructive criticisms and engagement as against using illegal means, urged Nigerians to be their brother’s keeper.
Kalu stressed that Igbo are married to Northerners and vice versa and as such, there is no basis for disaffection between the two ethnic groups or any other ethnic group.
The former governor also used the opportunity to charge governors of the South East states to further ensure the protection of lives and property of Northerners living in the South East as a way of reciprocating the gesture of the northern governors.
