I have read with disdain and shame the spat of ethnic accusation and counter accusations that followed the release of Professor Chinua Achebe's memoirs.

I am concerned, not at the content of the much talked about book but at the hatred and distrust that ensued between the major ethnic groups in Nigeria as a result of the memo. How can comments from a war that ended some forty years ago be welcomed with such unprecedented anger, hatred and argument except such bitterness had being secretly nurtured over the years.

I believe in Nigeria but to see Nigeria thorn into 3 parts based on events that happened four decades ago is making me think twice. How can a country progress if love is lost between its component parts? I am not a boy of few words but the accusations and criticisms that followed the release of the Prof Achebe's book have made me gasp for words.

My plea to all Nigerians is that we not only bury our hatchets but for every man/woman, be him/she Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba to please forgive his/her fellow Nigerians of their sins and seek to build a united nation.

Perhaps we were forcefully amalgamated but we can make sense of this nonsense, if only we will come together as one. Until (if) Nigeria is divided we cannot afford to think like Yorubas, Igbos or Hausas but as Nigerians. Our approach must be cleared of ethnic sentiments.

Long live Nigeria!