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How to end agitations for secession – Fayose

By Muyiwa Adeyemi (Head South West Bureau)
26 June 2017   |   3:57 am
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State yesterday warned against secession by any section of the country. The governor urged the Federal Government to be fair to all the geographical zones to douse the tension.

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State yesterday warned against secession by any section of the country. The governor urged the Federal Government to be fair to all the geographical zones to douse the tension.

Speaking on some national issues in Ado Ekiti, he said: “I agree that that secession is not desirable, but there must be justice and equity. When people are being killed or vilified, you must expect a reaction.

“No region should use power to oppress another. If Nigeria were truly one, it would not get to a stage where one region will openly call on another to leave its land.” Fayose also called for a review of the federal revenue sharing formula as a means of dousing the growing ethnic-based tensions in the country.

He urged the Federal Government to go beyond rhetoric and dialogue with the leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, instead of trying to muzzle him and his group.

Condemning the October 1 ultimatum given to Igbo by some northern youth leaders to leave the region, he tasked government to take steps that would address the agitation of the people.

“As much as secession is not an option, the handlers of our democracy must be equitable, fair and just to everyone. The Igbo have continued to suffer because of the perceived role of the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu. If we say that past governments didn’t do well, what has the present government done differently?

“Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is doing his best, but that is not enough. We must remember that those who make positive change impossible make violent change inevitable. It is not fair that a section would suffer forever because of its role in the civil war,” he said.

He called for a review of “the revenue sharing formula because it is not a true reflection of our collective interest. For the country to move forward the states should take over economically.”

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