Elder statesman and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has appealed to state governors to do more to unite Nigeria.
Clark said he had paid his dues for the development of Nigeria and would never support the balkanisation of the country.
He made the call when a group, Nigeria for Peace Project, paid him an advocacy visit in Abuja.
The group comprises Citizens for Development and Education (CDE) and Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ).
Receiving the delegation, Clark said such visits by young Nigerians were welcomed by him.
While stating that Nigeria was bedevilled by myriad of challenges, ranging from corruption and insecurity, Clark called on the governors to pool resources together and ensure a united country.
“What are we fighting for? Some of us have contributed our quota to the development of this country, I do not want a divided country,” he said.
The elder statesman said: “I’m particularly happy to see all of you on such a mission which is out to unite Nigeria, where every Nigerian that Lord Lugard united in 1914 is equal to the other citizen.
“And can rise to any position in the country without fear or favour, without any malice,” Clark said, adding that the groups are championing a good cause adding that they were on the right path.
“At a time when everybody thought we were at a crossroad, with young men and women like you coming together from the north and south, we had no other country but Nigeria.”
“We have no other place to go to but to stay in our country which is the biggest country in Africa.
“The North alone cannot produce a president; the South alone cannot produce a president. We need each other,” Clark said.
The convener of the project and executive director, CDE, Mr Ibrahim Waiya, said the idea for the project was conceived at the wake of the 2023 general election.
“This time around, we noticed that a lot of things are taking a different dimension where some people are taking advantage of the speculations for the call for interim government and that the inauguration should be withheld until after the declaration of the court.
“We want things to be done in a peaceful way. And we want things to be done in accordance with laid down principles and our extant laws,” he said.
Also, co-convener of the group, Mr Mulade Sheriff and the executive director, CEPEJ said that as youths “we need to sustain the peace of this country which can be achieved through collective responsibility.”
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