By Kenneth Kabiri
Professor Ango Abdullahi called on the government to deal with the current Biafra agitation.He described it as another form of politicking.
The former vice chancellor said the Buhari administration must change its direction. He advised the federal government to deal with those trying to create problem for Nigeria under any guise saying the new Biafra agitation should not be tolerated.
In an interview recently, the spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum said historically, it was Igbos who attacked Nigeria as their leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, tried to pocket the rest of Nigeria.
He said the renewed agitation for Biafra cannot be detached from the normal politicking in the country. He said: “Well, we should be mindful of the fact that the renewed agitation cannot be detached from the politics of Nigeria. It is not new and not different from normal politicking that has been taking place in Nigeria since independence.
“Biafra agitation arose from the Nigerian political process. It came from a power struggle in the First Republic, which culminated in the assassination of the First Republic leaders and the subsequent emergence of Ojukwu.
Incidentally, it was Ojukwu, who suspected that the Igbo were being attacked whereas it was the Igbo who attacked Nigeria. “It should be noted that Ojukwu, assisted by Igbo intellectuals, thought they should pocket the rest of Nigeria.
“Thus, the so-called Biafra agitation is rooted in the 1966 coup and I want to say that if people are still asking for Biafra almost 50 years after the civil war, then it is necessary for us to sit down and ask ourselves how we want the nation to be. “In dealing with the renewed Biafran agitation, the Federal Government should adhere strictly to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution relating to the rule of law. Accordingly, the Federal Government should be firm in dealing with any individual or group trying to create problems for the rest of Nigeria under any guise.”
He also spoke about the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari saying although he was a good man, he got something wrong. He said: “I gave a number of interviews on the man; good man, no doubt, but he got it wrong because he got the wrong team, that is it.