Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has reiterated the need for Nigeria to remain as one, indivisible and a united nation, saying the government and people of Rivers would not be part of the agitation for the break-up the country.
Speaking on Tuesday at the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, when he led a high-powered delegation of traditional rulers and leaders of thought from Rivers on a sallah visit to the state, Wike said every nation in the world had its peculiar challenges and that the onus was on the leaders of Nigeria to find lasting solutions to the various challenges confronting the nation.
He said there were better ways to resolve the agitations and problems facing Nigeria, rather than contemplating a break-up.
Wike said, “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.
“I have also been friends with Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, even before his emergence as a Speaker of the House of Representatives and this will be sustained inspite of the fact that we belong to different political parties.”Â
Tambuwal, who was in company with Wike, had earlier said that the visit could not come at a better time than now and restated his belief in the unity of Nigeria.
The governor said the visit would help to strengthen the bond of unity between the two states.
In his remarks, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar described the current agitations in the country as symptoms of the rot in the Nigerian system.
According to him, lot of things had gone wrong in the past, but hope should not be 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 added.
The Sultan stressed 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 had gone 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,” the Sultan said.
Among the personalities in Wike’s entourage were the former governor Celestine Omehia; former acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secundus; former Nigerian Bar Association president, O.C.J Okocha; Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and Amanayabo of Opobo Kingdom, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja; Amanayabo of Abonnema, King Gbobo Bob-Manuel, and Oda of Abua, King Kelly Obunge.
Speaking on Tuesday at the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, when he led a high-powered delegation of traditional rulers and leaders of thought from Rivers on a sallah visit to the state, Wike said every nation in the world had its peculiar challenges and that the onus was on the leaders of Nigeria to find lasting solutions to the various challenges confronting the nation.
He said there were better ways to resolve the agitations and problems facing Nigeria, rather than contemplating a break-up.
Wike said, “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.
“I have also been friends with Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, even before his emergence as a Speaker of the House of Representatives and this will be sustained inspite of the fact that we belong to different political parties.”Â
Tambuwal, who was in company with Wike, had earlier said that the visit could not come at a better time than now and restated his belief in the unity of Nigeria.
The governor said the visit would help to strengthen the bond of unity between the two states.
In his remarks, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar described the current agitations in the country as symptoms of the rot in the Nigerian system.
According to him, lot of things had gone wrong in the past, but hope should not be 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 added.
The Sultan stressed 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 had gone 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,” the Sultan said.
Among the personalities in Wike’s entourage were the former governor Celestine Omehia; former acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secundus; former Nigerian Bar Association president, O.C.J Okocha; Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and Amanayabo of Opobo Kingdom, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja; Amanayabo of Abonnema, King Gbobo Bob-Manuel, and Oda of Abua, King Kelly Obunge.
