Igbo will Not Be Intimidated in Yobe, Says Gaidam
Ejiofor Alike
Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State has denounced the threats by some northern youths against the Igbo, describing the threats as unfortunate, unlawful and unwarranted.
Reacting to the threats to Igbo people to leave the North before October 1 as a result of the agitation for the creation of the State of Biafra by the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the governor assured the Igbo that nobody would be allowed to intimidate them in Yobe State.
According to a statement issued yesterday by his Director of Press Affairs, Abdullahi Bego, the governor stated that like other Nigerians, the Igbo have a right that is fully guaranteed by the constitution to live in any part of the country of their choice.
“As a multi-ethnic, multireligious and multi-cultural society, part of our nation’s strength lies in the diversity of its people. It is what has moved every successful nation forward. In Yobe State, the Igbos like the people of other ethnicities, have lived and engaged peacefully with their neighbours. The state government therefore assures them that it will not allow anyone to intimidate or threaten them and will use the full resources of law enforcement to see to that,” the governor explained.
Gaidam said he strongly believes in a Nigeria in which “all its people live peacefully with one another; a country where political disagreements are settled not through threats and violent conduct but through dialogue and give- and- take.”
The governor reminded youths in the North and in every part of the country that as tomorrow’s leaders, they have a responsibility and a stake to contribute to the peace and stability of the nation.
He added that he also believes that political and community leaders in every part of the country have a responsibility, as well, to guide the youths to responsible conduct and to speak against violence or tendency to violence.
“It is through peace and unity, and not division and disunity, that our dream of a better, more prosperous Nigeria will come true,” the governor added.