Some Nigerians have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for re-affirming his administration’s commitment to the unity and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians in his nationwide broadcast on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president, in his first broadcast after returning from medical vacation, said Nigeria’s unity is settled and not negotiable.
He also said, among other things, that every Nigerian has the right to live and pursue his business anywhere in Nigeria without let or hindrance.
Mr. Bolaji Oshinowo, the Secretary of the Lagos State Chapter of the Labour Party (LP), said the speech was needed to douse tension of secessionist agitations in the country.
He said the president had done what Nigerians expected of him by his speech.
Oshinowo urged the president to take further result-oriented steps to subdue agitations and intensify the war on terror.
“To me, the speech is good, but I believe the administration should do more in addressing the issues arising from the agitation of ethnic minorities which is polarising the nation right now.
“Also, the war on insurgency should be tackled in a more sophisticated and intelligent way. We should deploy more technology in fighting the battle,” he said.
The party leader said that the president should, however, have touched on the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike and the economy in the speech.
Commenting on the speech, the State Co-ordinator of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Waheed Ishola, said the president’s stance on unity reflected the view of most Nigerians.
Ishola said the president’s insistence on peaceful co-existence would check the quit notices given by some groups to people in certain parts of the country.
“The president is a firm believer in the unity of Nigeria and he has clearly expressed that in his speech.
“This expression of commitment is commendable because the country is better together,” he said.
Ishola also urged Nigerians to give the government all the support to wipe out insurgency.
The State Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Kayode Alabi, also commended the president’s commitment to the unity of the country.
Alabi said that Nigeria would be stronger if it was united than fragmented. (NAN)
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