Oshomole (Edo State Governor)
Gov. Adams
Oshiomhole of Edo on Wednesday in Abuja condemned the activities of Niger Delta
Avengers, saying Nigerian State should not submit to blackmail from any
quarters.
The governor stated this while fielding questions from State House
correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, the country deserves respect from all, adding that the
political elite should help in promoting and strengthening the bridge of unity
in the country. “I don’t think the state should submit to blackmail, for me I
think the state should be respected.
“For me I believe in Nigeria, I believe
no part can do without the other, I believe our unity is not negotiable, I
believe the responsibility of the political elite is to strengthen the bridge
of unity, to discourage preaching hatred; discourage amplifying weak points
rather work to strengthen those points. “I salute our armed forces for what
they are doing and the confidence they have brought back to our security,’’ he
said.
Oshiomhole further stated that “President Buhari deserves the support of
everyone and there is no part of Nigeria that can be better off without the
other part”. He said: “The sooner we accept this reality the better it is for
all of us. The days of ethnic champions and imaginary divides will not help
anyone.’
’ The governor maintained that the president had shown leadership and
determination to keep the country going and “for once, we are enjoying respect
in world capitals, in different continents’’.
Oshiomhole, therefore, enjoined
all Nigerians, particularly the people of the South-South region, to support and
cooperate with the Buhari-led administration in his efforts to transform the
country. “We don’t need to be security experts to accept the universal truth
that wherever there is insecurity there will be no investment because no
investor will go to where is unsafe. “And where there is no investment poverty
will be endemic because there will be no job for our people.
“I appeal to all
of us in the South; south, we need to wake up; it is for our own self-interest
that we make the region the most investor friendly. “The assets being destroyed
is not just national assets, it is our own assets. It is what makes the South;
south the hub of the Nigerian economy.
“So, if somebody for whatever reason
decides to destroy pipelines and thereby compounding the problem of pollution,
the cost of cleaning up that area, making it attractive either for fishing,
farming or other business, is a huge cost,’’ he added. The governor commended
Buhari for his commitment to clean up Ogoni land and other polluted areas in
the Niger Delta.
He urged the people of the region to work together and
encourage the President and the Federal Government to continue to do
