The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Friday, said that various agitations by some ethnic groups across the country were threatening the peace and unity of the country.
He said this in Calabar, Cross River State’s capital, during the opening of a two-day retreat of the Southern Senators’ Forum which has the theme, “National unity and restructuring.”
Saraki said Nigeria was currently faced with diverse challenges, expressing confidence that the retreat would give a direction on the way forward in strengthening the existing peace and unity of the country.
The Senate President noted that the unity of Nigeria was a prerequisite for development, stability and greatness, adding that without unity, the country would not achieve the desired change.
He said, “I have no doubt in my mind that, with the inspired leadership at its helm, the Southern Senators’ Forum will remain a strong, clear voice that speaks forcefully in the interest of the region.
“Since the end of the Nigerian Civil War, our unity has never been more challenged than at the present time. There are agitations across the length and breadth of this country that threaten our unity.”
The Senate President said that there was no group of people better placed than members of the 8th National Assembly to steer the debate on the way forward on restructuring.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, on Friday said that Nigeria’s unity was negotiable.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that the country’s unity could not be sustained by constitutional provisions or mere force.
The governor spoke in Calabar during the retreat organised by the Southern Senators’ Forum.
Speaking on “Protecting Ethnic Minorities in Project Nigeria,” Dickson called on the opponents of restructuring to work towards an equitable society rather than seek solace in constitutional provisions “that do not guarantee a fair and sustainable country.” – Punch.
