By Olu Fasan
Last week, government rolled out the drums to celebrate Nigeria’s 60th Independence Day. But across the South, separatist groupswere beatingthe drumsof secession. In the South West, Yoruba One Voice, YOV, a group calling for “Oduduwa Republic”, held rallies across Yorubaland and hoisted a flag of the “republic” in some towns. In the South East, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, which has long agitated for the “Republic of Biafra”, issued a sit-at-home order widely obeyed across Igboland.
Let’s be clear. Those advocating secession are on the fringes of public discourse and advocacy on the future of Nigeria.Those of us in the mainstream of that discourse and advocacy simply call for restructuring Nigeria to unleash the peaceful coexistence, unity, stability and progress that are so elusive in this country.
That said, separatism is rooted in deep feelings and must be handled tactfully. Governments that respond belligerently to separatist…
Source: Vanguard Newspaper
