Our Country Is Too Precious; Our Problems Are Too Pressing To Pander To Divisive Rhetoric – Atiku
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday said the ultimatum issued by a Northern youth coalition to the Igbos to quit the region and the counter response by a South-east group is not only provocative, reckless and thoughtless, but also a grave threat to national security and peaceful co-existence.
Reacting to the ultimatum and counter salvos in a statement issued by his Media Office in Abuja, Atiku said he was alarmed by the latest dangerous outbursts, warning that it does not augur well for the North and the country at large.
He said for a country facing threats of disunity, such ultimatum and counter rhetoric at this time is most irresponsible and callous, because it is capable of setting off a chain of ugly events nobody could control.
Atiku, who is also a chieftain of the governing APC, warned politicians of all hues to distance themselves from such divisive rhetoric, stressing that the consequences of such association could ultimately consume them.
He insisted that all grievances must be peacefully discussed and resolved through negotiations, and not through threats to fellow citizens.
The former Vice President therefore called for restraint on all sides by the Youth groups to pave the way for meaningful dialogue on how to restructure our country for the good of all.
According to him; “Our country is too precious; our problems are too pressing to pander to divisive rhetoric”.
He appealed to the authorities to address the challenges of youth restiveness, as well as social and economic exclusion, which are the drivers of tensions just as he stressed that the country should not be afraid to confront the recurring clamour for restructuring.
The Turakin Adamawa explained that sweeping problems under the carpet wouldn’t make those problems go away, adding that on the contrary, an ostrich attitude towards these challenges “could produce future complications beyond our capacity to manage.”
