SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, (THEWILL) – Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday, declared that the Federal Government, would ensure the country’s unity, adding that nobody would be allowed to get away with seditious speeches.
Osinbajo made this known at a meeting with some elders from the North at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he read the riot act to purveyors of hate speeches, saying they won’t be allowed to destabilise the country.
It was the first in the series of meetings with leaders from the six geo-political zones over the brewing discontent between the North and the Southeast with some members of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) in attendance.
At the meeting were ACF leader, Ibrahim Coomassie, NEF leader, Prof Ango Abdullahi, who gave his backing to the Arewa youths’ threat, while Osinbajo was supported by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olanishakin
Osinbajo declared that those pushing for disintegration by ordering other Nigerians in their domains to quit would face the law saying the government would not fold its arms and allow peace and order to be disrupted in any part of the country.
“As a government, we are determined to ensure the unity of the country along the lines of our constitution and I want to say that hate and divisive speeches or divisive behaviour where it is illegal will be met with the full force of the law,” he said.
“Every form of violence, every form of hate speech, any stone that is thrown in the market place will hit targets that are going to be deadly. So I need us to be fully conscious of that and the Nigerian people must be made to be fully conscious of that so that we do not create a crisis that is not intended.
“As part of living together I know that misunderstandings and frustrations will always arise and people will always want to get the best part of the deal but we must be careful to recognise that we can only begin to talk about any part of anything if we are together in peace.
“These days, wars do not end and I am sure that those who have seen or experienced war in any shape or form will not wish it on their worst enemies.
“This is not a time to retreat behind ethnic lines, moments like this are not for isolating ourselves, I want to urge all of us here and the entire Nigerian populace to come together and work together.”
“And I want to ensure that there is no doubt at all that it is the resolve of the government that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that can cause violence especially because when we make these kinds of pronouncement and do things that can cause violence or destruction of lives and property we are no longer in control. Those who make those speeches are no longer in control.
“So, I want to emphasise that government will take very seriously any attempts to cause violence or disrupt the peace of this country. And that is very important because you cannot control violence once it begins.”
Osinbajo will meet with leaders from the southeast on Wednesday and is scheduled to meet the region’s traditional rulers on Friday. On Sunday, he will meet with traditional rulers from the North.
