A former Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Ibrahim Abdullahi, has advised agitators of secession to opt for referendum.
The octogenarian statesman gave the advice while speaking with our correspondent in Gombe.
According to him, by opting for referendum, secession agitators would avoid inflicting pains on the country by avoiding a situation that can degenerate into war.
Abdullahi recalled that the 1966 civil war was a traumatic experience for the country, warning that the consequences of war are better imagined than experienced.
He said, “I don’t like the country to break up at all; but if worse comes to the worst, a referendum is still better than a civil war.
Referendum is a normal democratic situation. We should avoid a situation where we inflict injury on our own country.
“Many of us that experienced the civil war, it remains fresh in our minds. We will not like to fight another civil war. I’m one of those who love Nigeria and will not want it to go through another civil war. What the Northern Elders Forum said is an alternative to a civil war.”
Speaking further on the 2023 presidential election, Abdullahi said it was the right thing to throw the contest open to all aspirants irrespective of geopolitical zones, while the electorate should vote according to their convictions based on the candidates’ manifestos.
Abdullahi, who lamented the increasing level of poverty in Nigeria, tasked political office holders on accountability and integrity, reminding them that they would give account of their stewardship to God in the end.
“It dawned on me when I saw a 60-year-old-man apply for a labourer work. When they refused to engage him he began to weep, saying he did not know how to survive; the man claimed he didn’t eat the previous day,” he said.
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