Lawan urges FG to address secession agitations in Nigeria

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to address the agitations by secessionist groups in the country.

Lawan, who made the call in his address at the public presentation of a book titled: “Foundations of Nigeria’s Unity,” written by the Senator representing Cross Rivers Central District, Sandy Onor, said agitations by self-determination groups are harmful to nation-building.

He stressed that marginalization is the primary reason for such calls and urged the government to look into the matter and address it.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been pushing for the actualization of the Republic of Biafra in the South-East.

The Ilana Omo Oodua is also spearheading the self-determination movement in the South-West

Lawan said: “There is no part of this country that does not cry about marginalisation from time to time, but, I think, some of these tendencies of pull-away are centrifugal tendencies created by the elites.

READ ALSO: Afenifere insists on true federalism, slams secessionist agitations

“It is our duty as leaders to look into those genuine calls when our citizens complain.

“Where we find justifications, we shouldn’t shy away from addressing those calls to make our citizens more patriotic.

“It is a proven fact, as the book argues, those nations are made by men and women, by peoples and communities, who are painstaking in efforts at staying as one and harnessing their diversities for greatness.

“This process has been the hallmark of nations in history, which is why some of the greatest nations on planet earth are neither completely homogenous nor heterogeneous.

“They have moved on to higher levels by deliberately working on their diversities, and making the best out of it through resolves, regulations, and the instrument of good governance.

“Growth and development are neither a function of the commonality of culture nor the disparities in traditions.

“Progress comes through the determination of a people to stay together, leveraging on the ¹vision and mission of the constitution and the leadership.

“Calls for separation are therefore inimical to efforts at nation-building, especially if the consequences of this are put into proper perspective.”

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