Rivers is not part of Biafra, says Wike

Nyesom Wike, governor of River state, says agitations for the break-up of Nigeria will not solve the country’s problems.

Speaking at the palace of the sultan of Sokoto on Tuesday, the governor said his state would not be part of any agitation for the break-up of the country.

He said every nation has its challenges, and as such Nigeria’s leaders must find lasting solutions to the problems of country.

He added that there were better ways to solve the country’s problems than to agitate for a break-up.

“Rivers state and its people believe in the oneness and unity of Nigeria and that is our stand. In Sokoto, we have a father in the sultan. In fact, he is a father to all Nigerians and he is a peace builder in this country and beyond,” he said.

“I have also been friends with governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal since before his emergence as a speaker of the house of representatives and this will be sustained despite the fact that we belong to different political parties.”

Earlier, Tambuwal, who accompanied Wike, said the visit came at a good time, restating his belief in the unity of Nigeria.

The governor also said the visit would help to strengthen the bond of unity between the two states.

In his remarks, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the sultan, said agitations in the country were symptoms of the rot in the system.

According to him, a lot of things had gone wrong in the past, but hope is not lost.

“A lot of things were done in the past by some people with impunity and nothing was done. That is why you find shortage of good governance now weighing us down in the country. However, as it is now, no matter how bad your hand is, you cannot cut it and throw away,” he said.

The sultan emphasised the need to adopt dialogue to resolve all the misunderstandings and problems in the country.

The monarch said Nigerians should sit together, brain-storm, look at what went wrong, retrace their steps and move forward. He appealed to statesmen in the nation to wade in, in this direction.

“We are not short of statesmen across Nigeria and they should help the country by championing the dialogue,” he added.