It’s not true Mr President, Nigeria’s unity is negotiable, Ohanaeze, Afenifere tell Buhari

The South East socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and the pan-Yoruba socio-political body, Afenifere, on Wednesday disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari on his non-negotiability stand of the unity of Nigeria, saying it was very negotiable.

President Buhari had earlier on Wednesday, when Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello, led residents of the FCT to pay the President Sallah homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, told militants who have continued to destroy oil installations in the Niger Delta that the unity of the country remained non-negotiable.

 

He also called on those who had looted the nation’s treasury to approach the government and negotiate how they would return their stolen wealth.

But the Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo replying, disagreed with the President, saying he may not really be aware of the present feelings in the country.

For the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, it appears Buhari might not be reading the mood of the nation correctly.

 

In his reaction in an interview, Odumakin said, “I think the President is a sincere man but he may not be reading the mood correctly. The country is divided under him than before. Amalgamation and armed dialogue are going on all around us over the unity of Nigeria which many sections perceive has treated them unfairly.

“To continue to insist that the unity is not negotiable is aping that bird which buries its head in the sand and believes, because it is seeing nobody, it has become invisible too.”

 

Ohanaeze on the other hand said while it is not calling for secession of the country, it totally  agree with the Afenifere on the negotiability of Nigeria.

Ohanaeze Youth Council President Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, stated that the current structure of Nigeria had not favoured all parts of the country, adding that Nigeria’s unity should be placed on periodic review.

Nothing that the Igbo, as a group, canvassed the restructuring of the country during the last constitutional conference, Isiguzoro argued, “We (Ohanaeze Ndigbo) believe that Nigeria’s unity is negotiable. The principles and structures on the co-existence of the various nationalities that make up the country should be reviewed periodically.

“At the moment, the structure that is in place is not in favour of everybody. Those that it is favouring are the ones who want the status quo to be maintained, but those it has not favoured, like the Igbo, are open to a negotiation of the country’s unity.

 

“We are not calling for secession, but a periodic review of the terms of the country’s unity is necessary for peaceful coexistence, otherwise agitations for separation would continue to grow.”

This is also coming as Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka had also recently, described the oneness of Nigeria as “very negotiable”.