The apex Igbo cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, on Friday, said Nigerians must learn to live in peace with one another, irrespective of ethnic, religious or regional differences.
Mr. John Nwodo, national leader of the group, made this plea in Gombe when he led Igbo leaders from the 19 Northern states, including Abuja, on a courtesy call on Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State.
He said anybody who witnessed the civil war in the country would not want to see a recurrence of the unfortunate incident.
According to him, Ohaeneze conceived the idea to reach out to Northerners even before the decision of the 19 Northern governors to visit the South East.
“They visited us and we are now here shows we are on the same bed and dreaming the same dream,” he said.
He assured non-Igbo resident in the South East of adequate protection, conveying the message of governors in the region to guarantee the safety of all non-Igbo.
While stressing that “enough is enough”, he called on patriotic Nigerians not to take the laws into their hands.
He described the clamour for self-government as the handiwork of the enemies of Nigeria who were envious of the potentials of the country.
He appealed to Dankwambo to communicate the message of peace from Ohaeneze to the people of the state and the entire North- East.
In his response, Governor Dankwambo assured that Gombe State was home to all, stressing that dequate measures had been taken to ensure the safety of lives and property.
Represented by his deputy, Charles Iliya, he recounted an earlier meeting held with political, traditional and religious leaders across the state, where he stressed that the unity of the country was paramount.
The leader also met with Igbo community in the state. (NAN)
