TheCable

Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia state, has promised to engage Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), in a discussion.

Speaking at a joint press conference with members of the coalition of northern groups (CNG) in Abuja on Tuesday, Kanu said he tried the approach when he was governor and it worked.

He said the agitation for the sovereign state of Biafra has done a lot of damage to the economy of the south-eastern part of the country.

Kalu said it is an issue of great concern to the region and that young people do not know the extent of the damage.

“The GDP of the area has gone down grossly; I am an entrepreneur and I know it,” he said.

“Cameroon, Chad, Niger and others used to buy goods from Aba, now how many of them still go there? We resolved this issue when I was the governor of Abia; I resolved it with Ralph Uwazuruike and he listened; we will speak with Nnamdi Kanu and he will listen.”

Kalu said the diversity and demography of Nigeria were its strength, adding that every part of the country has something to offer for its development.

He urged all those calling for secession to support the call for restructuring “as it does not mean breaking up the country.”

“Nigeria needs to restructure economically and other wise. Many states cannot pay salaries,” he said.

“We need to put more money on capital projects, I recommend 25 per cent for recurrent and 75 per cent for capital. If the federal and state governments had invested in agriculture, the north should be making about 150 billion dollars from agriculture yearly.

“This is the only country that traverses from Atlantic Ocean to Sahara desert; some people are asking God to give them just one; we have to keep the country united.”

Also speaking, Shettima Yerima, chairman of the coalition, said the group had been having series of meetings with a lot of prominent Nigerians.

Yerima, who is also the chairman of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, said there is no cause for alarm over the quit notice given to the Igbo.

“We want the unity of Nigeria. We identify with Kalu because he believes in the unity of Nigeria, going by his antecedents; we have assured him of our commitment to one Nigeria and our meeting was fruitful,” he said.

“We strongly believe that Nigeria is one and it is for us. Be rest assured that there is no cause for alarm; we assure everybody who believes in Nigeria of their safety.”