Okowa, Adebanjo, Baba-Ahmed point the way forward for nation at Ripples Nigeria dialogue (Live updates)

2:41 pm – Southern voters do not vote. For every one southern voter, there are two northern voters. It is a ratio 2:1 — Professor Yusuf

2:09 pm – “Get involved. This fight is for you (the youth)”

2:05pm – Prof Yusuf said, “Anyone that wants to be president in 2023. When he comes to the north, we ask him three things; What is your Allegiance (Nigeria, Biafra, Oduduwa), how are you going tackle security and the plan to improve our economy”.

2:08 pm – “In Lagos, 10,000 votes can make you a chairman and many youths are on social Media. Get involved“.

2:03 pm – He also said, Rebuilding trust in Nigeria can not be done on the street but the National Assembly.

1:58 pm – Prof Yusuf said, “At a time in Nigeria, we did the most stupid thing, we stopped teaching history and our kids will start watching Tik Tok and others”.

1:52 pm – In the south-west where they pride themselves as the most educated region, Igboho is standing for them. We have lost our youths —Prof Yusuf

1:42 pm – Nigerians have been unfair to minority ethnic groups. We must recognise them as federating groups. We must also understand whether we’re building Nigeria for Nigeria or Nigeria for Nigerians —Uche Onyeagocha

1:37 pm – Our leaders must learn to go back and apologise for the woes they have cost the country in the past. Yakubu Gowon, President Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Ernest Shonekan and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo must apologise and not parade as elderstatesmen when they have committed very ‘heinous’ crimes against Nigeria. -Uche Onyeagocha

1:32 pm – Onyeagocha said that there is nothing wrong with Nigeria taking the path of Malaysia and Singapore if the Christians and Muslims cannot cohabit with each other.

“We are victims of the two Abrahamic religions (Christianity and Islam). There will never be a day that each one will overrun each other. There must be tolerance of one another and the two must learn to co-exist. But where two people cannot co-exist, they do not need to live together.

“Northern Nigeria can do better as an independent nation. If it is not possible for us to save Nigeria, then let us break up Nigeria peacefully.

1:23 pm – Today the easiest way to steal money is to take it and put it into properties. So we need to lock that door, Onyeagocha said.

1:15 pm – People have lost confidence in this country and have decided to move on —Uche Onyegocha

“The issue of a referendum must be confronted in order to chart a way forward for the country.

“The unity of Nigeria must be negotiated and discussed for the sake of its country and citizenry.

1:12 pm – Uche Onyeagocha called for a minute silence in honour of many innocent Nigerians who have been killed as a result of bad governance

12:59 pm – PDP will inherit the misfortune of the APC, and we would inherit the misfortune of both the APC and PDP -Baba Ahmed

12:58 pm – The future (of Nigeria) does not need these parties (APC and PDP) – Hakeem Baba Ahmed

12:57 pm – They said Jonathan was too weak, Obasanjo’s man, accidental President, (but) who moved a motion to make him acting President, it was the northern – Hakeem Baba Ahmed

12:56 pm —Vote for an individual who is interested in the development of the country. An individual that is prepared in the education of the people and security of the nation —Baba-Ahmed

12:47 pm – The north has paid the biggest price for the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari. Don’t attribute president Buhari’s failure to Northerners – Hakeem-Baba Ahmed

12:45 pm – Hakeem Baba-Ahmed stated that people in the northern parts of the country has the wrong person in office, because they are the first victims of the mis-governance of president Buhari.

12:37 pm — “The thing that will save Nigeria is to change the constitution. Anything outside that, there is no future for Nigeria” —Pa Adebanjo

12:34 pm — “Corruption is worse in Nigeria now than it has ever been because of the people Buhari surrounds himself with” —Pa Adebanjo

He lamented that President Buhari has all the wrong people in his cabinet

12:22 pm – According to Adebanjo, “We need to ask ourselves why the north has more states and local governments than other parts of Nigeria. The military made it so to favour the north”.

“I campaigned for him (Buhari) because he promised us restructuring but he has disappointed us.”

12:12 pm – He said the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo wanted a constitution that would make every region in Nigeria grow at their own pace, adding that the centre had it’s specific functions during the first republic.

“That is why Nigerians are clamouring for restructuring because each region was dependent with a clear autonomy”.

12:05 pm – Adebanjo said, “When people accuse Buhari of being partisan, the indices are there to see”. He further said Nigerians should tell Buhari that he is the number one enemy of Nigeria, and that in order to tackle the herders problem, one must go back to the issue and analyse why it snowballed during the current tenure.

12:01 – Pa Ayo Adebanjo takes the podium for his presentation He laments that Nigerians are living in denial of the times.

11:30 am – Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in his opening speech laments the unending crises in the country snowballed with the #EndSARS crisis and labour agitations which further placed a wedge between the citizenry and the leadership.

According to him, other challenges such as cybercrime, human trafficking and others derived from general discontent with the leadership and the deplorable state of the country.

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11:0: – Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed leads the audience and participants in the opening prayer.

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11:08 – The Executive Director of the Ripples Center of Investigative Journalism (RCDIJ) Sam Ibemere, takes his opening address.

He reiterates the importance of the gathering, and the event gathering to redress the national issues due to the widening gulf amongst the populace.

He noted that Poor leadership is central to the larger malaise which birthed this brainchild by Ripples Nigeria.

“The impact of our footprints is becoming indelible with awards locally and internationally.

“The Ripples team expresses gratitude to our guests, the media and our promoters”.

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10.32 – Arrival of one of our keynote speakers, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the Director, Publicity and Advocacy of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF)

Ripples Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s foremost multi media online platform on Wednesday held its annual Ripples Dialogue, a forum where eminent Nigerians came together to discuss issues around strengthening Nigeria’s unity.

The theme was ‘Rebuilding Trust in a Divided Nigeria: Advancing the Conversation’.

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