Biafra: Obiano Reaches Out To Families Of Onitsha Protest Victims



AWKA - The Governor of Anambra State,
Chief Willie Obiano has reached out to
families who lost their loved ones during
the recent peaceful protests in Onitsha that
were hijacked by hoodlums.
In a Special Message issued in Awka on
Thursday, Governor Obiano bemoaned the
tragic protests that led to the death of the
victims and urged the grieving families to
take heart.
In his own words, “the death of these
young men and women in these protests is
a sad chapter in the history of peaceful
agitations in Nigeria. It is regrettable but
we must accept it as some of the
sacrifices we must make in Nigeria’s
march to a stronger and more united
country.”
The Governor expressed regret that what
was ordinarily a peaceful protest was
hijacked by hoodlums whose agenda was
contrary to the objectives of the protesters
and assured that he had opened a channel
of communication with the bereaved
families.
Governor Obiano further observed that “as
a nation, Nigerians must realise that we
have come to a point in our history when
violence should not be an option in the
search for solutions to our numerous
developmental challenges.
We ought to have known by now that no
meaningful progress is ever achieved
through violence. That is why my
administration does not spare any efforts
or resources in our quest to preserve the
peace we currently enjoy in Anambra
State.”
He cited his delicate handling of the
potentially explosive transfer of Boko
Haram inmates to Ekwulobia Prisons as
one good example of the creative use of
dialogue in resolving disputes. “We
stamped our feet firmly on the ground to
ensure that our people did not take the
laws into their hands,” he stated. Governor
Obiano recalled that it was his deep belief
in the efficacy of dialogue that made him
single-handedly sustain the pressure on
the relevant authorities until the
controversial Boko Haram inmates were
eventually relocated from Ekwulobia.
On the spate of rising agitations for self-
determination across the South East,
Governor Obiano advised all the aggrieved
parties to consider dialogue first before
taking the laws into their hands. He also
advised both the security operatives
keeping the peace in Onitsha and the
residents of the city to exercise extreme
restraint in the prevailing circumstances to
avoid further loss of life.
He observed that while there might be
sufficient grounds for protests, there is no
better approach to expressing the
collective anguish of a people than the
option of dialogue. Said he; “I am fully
aware of the basis for the rising discontent
in the South East, but I will always advise
that we explore the more effective option of
dialogue.
Remember that I was the only governor
from the South East that performed a
symbolic burial for Igbos and their South
South cousins who died during the Civil
War. However, my belief in the unity of
Nigeria is total. I think that we can always
overcome our challenges through
dialogue.”
He declared that his administration is
determined to ensure that Anambra
continues to enjoy its current status as the
most peaceful state in Nigeria by ensuring
that issues that carry the potentials that
can disrupt social harmony in the state are
quickly nipped in the bud.
Consequently, Governor Obiano urged
fellow citizens to give Nigeria a chance by
conducting themselves in a manner that
takes into account the country’s numerous
diversities and the imperatives of a
harmonious existence.