By Ismail Auwal
A video clip has emerged on the social media showing how a PDP founding member and former Information Minister, Professor Jerry Gana, reacted to Biafra agitation.
In the short clip, the former minister was seen maintaining calm while addressing a group, calling for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.
He appealed to the younger generation to ensure that Nigeria remains as a nation.
He was shown saying, “Nigeria must not break. It is very important for young people to take note of what I am saying on behalf of the elders. Our founding fathers, who came together as a federal republic, were highly inspired because they understand that we need each other.”
Gana who was also former Director General of the Mass Mobilization for Social Justice and Economic Recovery, popularly known as MAMSER, and one time a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, spoke about integrating Nigerians are as citizens.
The former director said, “In the last count there are over 14 million Igbos that are in northern Nigeria. This is real. In my village, if you remove the Igbo community the place is lifeless. The number of people from southwestern Nigeria, Yoruba land, in the North may nearly double that 14 million.”, he added.
“Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa-Fulani can all be a nation, but we cannot be a nation (as ethnic minorities). In my community, we have over 200 (ethnic) groups, and these small groups cannot be a nation. Amalgamation was signed in Lokoja, because the only way to bring these groups together is a federal republic.,” he affirmed.
Gana further assured that, “No Nigeria can survive without the solidarity of the federal republic of Nigeria.”
