Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria, has stated that it is unfair to blame only the Igbos for attempting to secede from the country. He believes that all three major ethnicities attempted to secede at some point.
Obasanjo expressed his disappointment when he heard that no Igbo man would become President of Nigeria due to their involvement in the January 15, 1966 coup.
He said this on Tuesday, October 22, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, while speaking to a 20-member delegation of the League of Northern Democrats, which was led by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.
According to the older statesman, the North made a determined attempt to leave Nigeria using what he referred to as the Araba vehicle.
“I think all of us in Nigeria have to rethink… It bleeds my heart when people say because the Igbo had carried out a secession, an Igbo man cannot be the president of Nigeria.
“I say what nonsense? There is no section of Nigeria that has not planned a secession. What is ‘Araba’ in the North? The North planned to break up Nigeria. Ahmed Jooda, a very good friend of mine, said that.
“What is treasonable felony? So, who among us can say I am better than the other? None! So, let us put our heads together and build a country together,” he said.
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli