The 19 Northern Governors under the aegis, Northern Governors Forum,
have unanimously condemned the attacks that happened during the
pro-biafran protest in Onitsha, Anambra state yesterday December 2nd.
Rising from a meeting in Borno state today, the governors said Nigerians
had no reason to fight themselves at this time when we should join
hands to fight the number one enemy of our country which is Boko Haram.
Borno state governor, Kshim Shettima who leads the group of Governors,
said this in a statement he released through his media aide, Isa Gusau.
The statement in part read;
"We condemn the Wednesday crisis in very strong term. We have been in
touch with one another today. The Governors of major cities in the north
in particular, have been in critical touch to share thoughts and we
have collectively taken firm measures to ensure that the violence
doesn’t spread to any part of the 19 northern States and we will also be
working with our colleagues in the south to nip the crisis in the bud
but we will not disclose the measures we have taken so that those who
may want to take advantage of the Onitsha mayhem don’t know our
strategies. However, it is surprising to the Northern States Governors
Forum that any Nigerian at all can even contemplate any kind of violence
when we already have serious problems of Boko Haram insurgents that are
killing Muslims and Christians, killing northerners and southerners,
attacking Mosques, Churches and markets, in an effort to kill all of us
that do not subscribe to their interpretation of Islam. We have Boko
Haram that kill Hausa, Fulani, Ibo, Yoruba, Kanuri, Ijaw and anyone they
are able to come across. We thought that the existence of Boko Haram
should have been enough to make all Nigerians fuse into one and fight a
common enemy. It is really sad that any Nigerian can contemplate
violence. We are not blaming any individual or group because there are
security agencies whose job it is to safeguard lives and property and do
investigations where necessary, we will not go into their duties. We
beg all Nigerians to be calm and go about their duties in peace. We have
got more than enough problems to worry about. We can’t afford any
distraction that will shift our focus from the bigger problems of Boko
Haram that has an ambition of sending the human race into extinction. We
urge all Nigerians to be calm. We particularly call on all Nigerians
living in the northern states not to pay attention to differences in
religion and ethnicity but rather, should see each other as Nigerians
with equal residential rights and fundamental human rights that include
freedom to lawfully reside anywhere in Nigeria, freedom of worship,
movement, trade, association, education, healthcare and other rights as
provided by the Nigerian constitution. We particularly call on our
youths not to allow anyone use them for any purpose because youths have
suffered more than any other age category from the hands of Boko Haram
insurgents and that is more than enough. Our focus should be on how to
end the Boko Haram insurgency and not to be driven into any other
crisis. We have suffered too much, we must say no to any crisis. As
heads of Government of the 19 northern states, we will by the grace of
God, do everything humanly possible to ensure that no resident,
regardless of his or her ethno-religious background, is denied any of
these rights. As Nigerians, we are one, we need one another and we must
live as one people,
