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Nigeria unity is negotiable, says Buhari’s ambassador to Chad
Babagana Kingibe, Nigeria’s ambassador to Chad and the Lake Chad basin region has joined Prof Wole Soyinka, Atiku Abubakar, and others who don’t believe Nigeria should be forced to remain a country.
The former SGF said this at The Sun Newspapers 2020 Awards in Lagos, on Saturday.
Kingibe said he is a frm believer I Nigeria, just like many in his generation are.
“However, I think that a few of my colleagues believe that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. Of course, it is negotiable. Even the unity of a family is negotiable. Even the constitution of husband and wife is negotiable,” he said.
According to him, the moment either party feels this union is no longer bearable, that he or she will rather go his or her way, you help them to sit down consider their decision.
There hs been agitation among the Yoruba and Igbo lately. The youth of the two regions are pushing for separate independent countries, and, sometimes, they do this with violence.
“Whenever they say they want to go away, I do not think they realise the going away. It is not that you carve out the piece of land, take it up and put it in other side of Ghana. The piece of land will be here,” he said.
“You will be here. Everybody will be here. And we all want to prosper. My appeal to everyone is, please, let us be respectful of one another. Let us not demonise one another. Let us respect the views of everybody.”
He then advised those seeking to leave Nigeria to consider the implications.
“Are you sure where you are going? Are you sure of the consequence of where you are going? Do you really feel that the grass is greener on the other side?”
“If you do, sit with your partner in respect, in mutual respect, in love if possible, but without demonising your husband or your wife because you will always remain the ex of the other person. But discuss quietly so that even if you separate in the future you can inter-relate with love and respect,” he added
Kingibe received the newspaper’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award.’