Maitama Sule, Kwande, Ikedife to meet pro-Biafran agitators

Eminent Nigerians from the North, South-South and South-East geopolitical zones are putting finishing touches to plans to dialogue with pro-Biafran agitators.

The Minority Leader of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, revealed this at a meeting involving some elder statesmen in Abuja, on Wednesday.

According to him, the elders who were drawn from the North, South-East and South-South geopolitical zones of the country were in Abuja, to proffer solutions to the growing threat posed by the renewed pro-Biafran agitation.

Some of the eminent persons at the meeting include a former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maitama Sule, a former Ambassador to Spain, Alhaju Yahaya Kwande, ex-Military Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd.) and a former President of the Ohanaeze Nd’igbo and Ikenga Nnewi, Dr. Dozie Ikedife.

Akpabio noted that the eminent persons under the leadership of Maitama Sule, were concerned about the nation’s unity.

Akpabio said, “This is a gathering of concerned Nigerian elders led by Maitama Sule, a one-time Ambassador, a great statesman and a true Nigerian.

“You see the calibre of persons from the South, this forum is for elders to attempt to proffer solutions to the emerging trends of insecurity in the South-East that seems to be seeping into the South-South.

“They are very concerned about Boko Haram in the North-East and the resurgence of the pro-Biafran movement. If we allow this to fester, it will do Nigeria no good.

“They feel that this is not a problem for the government alone because the ripple effect of it will affect all citizens. You can see what happened in the case of Boko Haram it started in Borno now it is in Gombe and the states in the North-East.”

The Senate minority leader noted that Nigerians of goodwill should contribute their quota towards finding a lasting solution to this growing threat.

He stressed that what was required was a conscious effort towards ensuring that issues raised were dealt with through dialogue.

Akpabio said this, “is a meeting of experienced people who love Nigeria who feel that anything that will lead to the unity of Nigeria should be encouraged.”

Commenting about plans by the elders to set up a committee, he said, “I hear them even talking about setting up a committee to reach out to the grassroots.”