 |
| Adamu Garba |
It was previously about the unity of Nigeria being non negotiable, but now however, the narrative has changed to which of the regions would suffer most should the country eventually splits.
Former presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, has said the only reason the North is backward, and regarded as a liability, is because it's real potentials are yet to be fully harnessed. He said if the North were to live up to its potential, the South would realize that it needed the North more than the North needed it.
In fact, according to Garba, the South stands to lose should the North breaks away from Nigeria today, adding that no single person is afraid of a breakup of the country.
“I don’t know what the so-called secessionist guys are playing at, their hatred towards the Fulani and everything North can be their greatest undoing once we pull out of the union called Nigeria," Garba said in the statement.
“The North has been a big brother for far too long, because we love Nigeria and we care for the silent majority of the people of the Niger Delta and the South-West who love Nigeria equally and understands the value of the North.
“So much energy is being wasted by the people of the North trying to make one Nigeria instead of thinking inward and start building its own institutions, industries, media, financial services, professionals, etc. If the North chooses to do this, the North may well serve as arbiters for settling endless conflicts in the South as a consequence of North leaving the union.
“Now I tell you this, in the North, after every other reasonable analysis, 90% of the present problems of the North will fizzle away once the North becomes an independent unit.
“No single person from the North is afraid of the breakup of Nigeria, none whatsoever. And I am not sure too many northerners are happy with the union either. But as general believers in patience and understanding that in the long run, things may turn out well for all of us, and in the spirit of solidarity with the majority true Nigerians within our comrades in the South, the North chose to stay in the union as one Nigeria.
“Trust me, if, perhaps we have constitutional provisions for a referendum, any region, especially Biafra, if they chose Nnamdi Kanu than a union of Nigeria, the North will most emphatically welcome the outcome. It’ll be a huge relief.
“The North has never served as slaves and never seeks independence because it has been independent for as long as it is there. Thus the North cannot start from the beginning nor the North to ever tolerate some warlord parading as messiahs, because the North knows governance, systems, policies and principles of tolerance and respect," he added.
But Valentine Ozigbo who is a former Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp, and Anambra State governorship aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), thinks otherwise.
Ozigbo said Igbos are builders of economy which holds the key to the survival of nations. And Nigeria cannot survive or make any meaningful progress without Igbos.
"Igbo are builders of economy," he said in an interview with Daily Sun.
"God created us for a purpose but we are yet to discover that. There is no way Nigeria will make progress without the inspiration of an Igbo man," he added.
On whether or not the progress of the South East is dependent on the country as a whole, he said, "We can not wait for the Federal Government to get it right before we act, else we will fail. If the rest of Nigerians are not ready for positive change, definitely we will abandon them and move on."