President
Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that Nigeria’s unity was not negotiable.
He
also warned looters of the nation’s treasury to return their loot for peace to
reign, saying government would continue to ask for the funds until they were
eventually returned.
President
Buhari, who gave the warning while receiving a cross section of Nigerians, most
of whom were Muslims, in his official residence located within the Presidential
Villa, Abuja to pay him sallah homage, recalled the famous quote of former Head
of State, General Yakubu Gowon, on the indivisibility of Nigeria.
According
to him, the task of keeping Nigeria as one united entity is a task that must be
done.
He said: “We have to concentrate on the
militants to try to know how many of them, in terms of groupings, try to get in
touch with their leadership to try to persuade them to please give Nigeria a
chance.
“I
assure them that when we were very junior officers, we were told by our
leaders, by the Head of State, who was Gen. Gowon, that to keep Nigeria one is
a task that must be done…we never thought of oil. “What we were after is one
Nigeria.
Please,
pass the message to the militants that one Nigeria is not negotiable.
And
I pray they better accept it. The constitution is very clear as to what they
should get and I assure them there would be justice.
“Please
persuade those who have plenty of money that do not belong to them to try and
negotiate, return it in peace so that both them and us will be in peace,
otherwise we will continue to request.”
Tags
Politics