Eniola Akinkuotu , Abuja
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on the Federal Government to negotiate with those agitating for the creation of a Biafran republic out of the current set- up in Nigeria .
Obasanjo said this at an event , tagged ‘Memory and Nation Building: Biafra 50 years later ’, which held in Abuja on Thursday The event was held to commemorate 50 years of the declaration of an independent state of Biafra by the late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu on May 30 , 1967 .
Obasanjo as the Commander , Third Marine Commando Division , was the military officer who accepted the surrender of the Biafran forces on January 12 , 1970 , after three years of war.
However, the former President said the agitation for Biafra was like a woman complaining constantly about her marriage and threatening to file for a divorce against her husband.
Obasanjo said in such a situation , the husband must pet and “massage” his wife to make her feel loved .
He stated , “ I believe that the point must be clear . Nigeria must be loved and we must treat Nigeria as we treat love affairs . It must be massaged . Nigeria must be massaged by all of us .
“It is like a love affair . If in a house with a husband and a wife and the wife says ‘ I am fed up , I am going ’ and every day, that is the song you hear , you will soon get fed up yourself as the husband and you will say , ‘ if you want to go, you can go ’.
“But if there is any misunderstanding and you resolve it, and you find a solution , you will live together almost forever . I believe there is no substitute for holding Nigeria and massaging it as you massage love. There is no alternative and I will say we should even appeal.
“If anybody says he wants to go , it is not that you will say ‘you can go if you want to go’. Don ’t go ! There is enough cake for each and every one of us . If what you are asking for is more of the cake , then ask for it in a way that is pleasant, not in a way that will make others feel you are not entitled to what you are asking for .”
Recalling his role in the Nigerian Civil War , Obasanjo said it was never the plan of the Nigerian government to exterminate the Igbo .
He explained that everything that the federal troops did was in a bid to unite the country .
Obasanjo added, “ We had in our pocket the Geneva convention to guide us . In addition to that , we had a special code of conduct. Third, we had foreign observers . We had people who were like umpires.
“If it was a war to exterminate and we had no reconciliation in mind , what would foreign observers be doing? The foreign observers reported periodically and even had powers to investigate any allegation and they did .”
Also speaking at the event , acting President Yemi Osinbajo said Nigerians must continue to strive for the unity of the nation .
While delivering his speech , titled ‘Greater together than apart ’, Osinbajo noted that the civil war was a stain on the history of Nigeria .
He, however , said it would be foolish if Nigerians passed through such a thing again.
The acting President stated , “ Indeed the saying ‘experience is the best teacher’ is incomplete. The full statement of that Welsh adage is that experience is the best teacher for a fool. History is a better and kinder teacher.”
Osinbajo said the demand for secession was not exclusive to Nigeria but was also present in many western countries including the United Kingdom and the United States.
He, however , stated that the answer to the problems of Nigeria goes beyond secession .
The acting President said the diversity in Nigeria should be seen as a blessing because it offered manifold opportunities for greatness .
Osinbajo added, “The most successful nations of the world are those who do not fall into the lure of separation but who through thick and thin forge unity in diversity. Nigeria is no different . We are not two or three but more of 300 ethnic groups between the same geographical space , presented with a great opportunity to combine all of our strengths into a nation that is truly more than the sum of its parts. ”
He said Nigerians should never shy away from discussing the terms of our unity because debate was an essential aspect of democracy.
The acting President added, “I fully believe that Nigerians should exercise , to the fullest extent , the right to discuss and debate the terms of our existence. Debates and disagreements are fundamental aspects of democracy. ”
The President of Igbo socio- cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo , said the political system was jaundiced and hindering proper development, adding that with fiscal autonomy , every state in Nigeria would develop faster .
Nwodo said, “Before the war, national unity was the norm . A Biafran was a member of Northern Nigeria House of Chiefs . Biafrans lived freely and invested in all parts of Nigeria .
“In Lagos, Dr Azikiwe was elected leader of Government Business . Mbonu Ojike was elected Deputy Speaker . In Enugu, Alhaji Umoru Altine, a Fulani man , was elected Mayor of Enugu . Mr . Willoughby , a Yoruba man , was Accountant -General .”
source: http://punchng.com/obasanjo-calls-for-negotiation-on-biafran-agitation/

Baba where do you stand?

What kind of Negotiations. is that

Are this people afraid of the British or what

let there be peace pls

let's start afresh and see if things work out fine

We have been together for so many years yet there is no result, so why can't we try it the other way round and see where the problem lies..

All this useless people are after is the high figure of loot if Nigeria stand as one.

Catalan wanna opt out of Spain, the Scotland wanna opt out of England, even the UK our colonial master opt out of EU..

It is obvious all this our leaders are doing all this shit for their selfish interest...


if you like bash me from left to right and back to front.

All i will do is keep silent and crown you the greatest fool on earth.

if the British can fight for their freedom in Europe why do we wanna remain slave

Egba re wa.

Even as that I still regret to annouce to everyone that the IPOB are all hell bent,they just wanna go simple.

Lugard made a terrible mistake and that mistake must be corrected. You can't group me with Hausa Fulani when we don't have anything in common and you expect me to be happy. We no do again.

Unity beggars
Afonjas kings of unity beggars

Honestly why beg them when they are hell bent they want to go? Afenifere group even said restructuring or referendum will pay off.

Abeg if biafra wan go, o daa bo!

columbus007:
Even as that I still regret to annouce to everyone that the IPOB are all hell bent,they just wanna go simple.

What's holding them back actually?
It is ludicrous to hear people claiming slavery in this modern age of self realization and actualization.

Let them follow laid down procedures instead of this their headless struggle and they will find themselves in their Eldorado country.

Door wide open !

Funny analogy about the wife and husband. If Biafrans are the wife then who is the husband? Could the husband be Afonja because that name is always on their lips.
Afonja pet your wife o. Baba lo so bee o.

Watch how some haterz will flock here

baba OBj mouth sef no dey stable

Unity beggers are on the rise o! They can be mostly found on the south western side of the divide.
Marriage is not by force.
Pharaoh let my people go or else face the deep sea.

There is nothing to negotiate, let this people go jare, off with useless distractions.
Nigeria is a big mistake, let everyone answer their fathers names.

Aufbauh:


What's holding them back actually?
It is ludicrous to hear people claiming slavery in this modern age of self realization and actualization.

Let them follow laid down procedures instead of this their headless struggle and they will find themselves in their Eldorado country.

ojukwu came out for the realization with swords and guns it simply means let's end it all through war,and there where a whole lots of others like the person of nwazireke and the likes they where all mouth warriors,but I don't think Nnamdi Kanu is come with such aggressive approach ,he's only saying the time is up and it's now.

why is vanguard always taking people out of context and sowing the seeds of discord? they just picked some portions of Osinbanjo's words to incite hate.

Let the Games begin at NASS

Buhari must really be dead or incapacitated for Osinbajo to even be giving credence to IPOB, by commenting on their agitation.

Who is paying Thief Obasanjo for all this his useless waka upandan?
Must still be on payroll of his imperialist bosses.

It's biafra or bust

Sorry but that's how the world works, If you can't pay him More and Mr Dead-Alive(Buhari) can't pay him better, then you guys should just shut up and let relevant people talk.
He's a wise man and plays the "balancing act" quite well, played it with MASSOB way before there's anything like IPOB, Jonathan was well advised and managed the situation flawlessly like a good statesman he is, Buhari the incompetent, uneducated animal comes around and starts mismanaging everything left to him. Mismanagement of the political crisis, Biafran Crisis, Economic Crisis, Terrorism crisis, etc……
please accept that Buhari is the worst thing to ever happen to this contraption called Nigeria. Everything that took years to work for he Moronically destroyed.
Only a paid troll or of extremely low IQ of almost Imbecilic level should be talking about the Madman.

GenBuhari:
Buhari must really be dead or incapacitated for Osinbajo to even be giving credence to IPOB, by commenting on their agitation.

Unlike Buhari he's better educated and understands how to run a nation, handle crisis and settle conflicts. His actions shows that he's not only an asset to our democracy but he diligently follows the principles of Democracy unlike the imperialist sponsored puppet Buhari. A woman i met at the airport(Yoruba Woman) said it's people's prayers that crippled.

GenBuhari:
Buhari must really be dead or incapacitated for Osinbajo to even be giving credence to IPOB, by commenting on their agitation.