The governor of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu received five other governors from the Northern part of the country on Monday.

Highlights

From Ikpeazu:

• “We won’t allow an infinitesimal few to separate us”. Ikpeazu expressed gratitude to the Northern delegation for coming to solidarise with the people of Abia.

From Shettima (Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum):

• “On behalf of northern governors’ forum, we are here to commend Governor Ikpeazu on his high-quality leadership in handling the crisis in Abia.”
• “He rose to the occasion and declared a curfew in Aba just as Governor Lalong also declared a curfew in Jos to avert a reprisal attack on the Igbo. We are here to show solidarity. We have a moral obligation to ensure that Nigeria remains one. Nigeria is the largest conglomeration of black people in Africa and we cannot afford to separate. If the nation disintegrates, where will we go? North is the Sahara desert and Chad cannot contain us. If we go south, it is the Atlantic Ocean. South is too small for us and the mountains of East Africa with their so many challenges cannot accommodate us.”
• “We are here to remind Nigerians that we are better as one. We are here to also invite our south-east colleagues to also come to the flashpoints of the north to speak to Ndi Igbo living in the north,” he said.

Antecedents:

• The agitations from the Southeast, especially IPOB – which increased recently.
• Quit notice from a Northern coalition to Igbos in the region and withdrawal, after.
• The inauguration of Operation Python Dance II and reaction from residents (supporters) of IPOB that led to a clash between soldiers and people in the Southeast region.

The governors, who visited the state were Kashim Shettima (Borno), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Aminu Masari (Katsina), Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram