Chief Ben Apugo was a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former ruling party at the centre.
In this interview, Apugo speaks on why he, alongside Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Governor Nyako of Adamawa State and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, quit PDP. He also speaks on the fate of APC in the South-East and the pro-Biafra quest by some Igbo elements, among other issues.
Pro-Biafra agitators have been protesting across the South-East and some parts of the South-South. Are you in support of their agitation?
The civil war ended a long ago time and we are all Nigerians. No reasonable human being should come out today to talk about Biafra. Our people have to speak up and make our children understand the situation of things. Those things they should be protesting for are employment, roads, water, airports and other amenities that are lacking in the zone. If they are agitating for these things, they should not block roads; they should talk to the government of the states in the South-East, not the Federal Government.
These people you are talking about are small boys whose mothers were not even born during the civil war. So, what I am saying is that the governors of the South-East should enlighten the youths and make them know that there is nothing like Biafra today. People should not be using Biafra as a tool for causing confusion and defrauding uninformed people.
The Federal Government should not be looking at the South-East, especially Umuahia, since they said their leader Nnamdi Kanu, is from here, as not supporting Buhari. Buhari did not create any problem in the South-East. All the while (former president Goodluck) Jonathan was there, they should have gone to demonstrate about Biafra. Buhari will tackle all the problems we are facing now, our former governors did not perform, and they did not create avenues for employment, no empowerment. My advice to our children is that they should forget about hoping against hope. We have cancelled Biafra.
Let them look for the betterment of this country and themselves. They should avoid this protest because it will not yield any fruit. Their leaders will not fight more than Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and Joe Effiong, who despite their efforts, Biafra failed at the end.
Caution Biafra agitators – Group urges S-East, S-South lawmakers
* To embark on Asaba unity/sensitisation rally, Dec 16
As the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) continue to call for the resurgence of the defunct Biafra Republic, youths under the auspices of Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC) have urged Federal lawmakers from the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones to caution the move.
In a statement by the National Cordinator (NDYC), Comr. Israel Uwejeyan, he described the agitation as causing disaffection among youths in the country.
Uwejeyan said: “We in Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC) call on youths in the Niger Delta region and South-East geopolitical zone and the nation at large to rise up from mediocrity and challenge every attempt to cause chaos, dissatisfaction and disunity among Nigerians for selfish political gains.
“We urge the National Assembly members from the South-East and South-South regions to rise up and openly condemn in its entirety the Biafra secession agitations by the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“As an organisation that promotes peace and stands for truth, we call on well meaning Nigerians to join in this unity and sensitisation rally that will hold in Asaba, Delta State on the 16th of December, 2015, and it is to disown every move to cause disaffection in the polity
“We want them to caution the move by some few persons in these regions, and we condemn the recent destruction of public and private property in Onitsha, Anambra State, and intimidation of law abiding citizens in the South-East.”
He urged the youth agitating for secession to have a rethink and join the train of rebuilding a new Nigeria, and asked them to explore reasonable avenues to channel their issues that allege marginalisation.
“It is also imperative to mention that youth who are agitating for secession must explore reasonable avenues to channel their grievances on alleged marginalisation,” he added.
-Vanguard