The Federal Government has identified the current insecurity in the country as reason for agitations for breakaway by various groups.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who stated this at a town hall meeting on national security, organised by his ministry, in Kaduna, however, called on Nigerians to be united.
He said that joining forces against insecurity, rather than thinking of going different ways was more beneficial to all Nigerians.
Mohammed said the town hall meeting was part of measures and avenues to put heads together by Nigerians towards finding lasting solution to insecurity in the country.
“Ominously, the general state of insecurity as reflected in incidences of farmers/herders clashes, Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, ethno-religious clashes and intolerance, cultism, drug addiction and kidnapping for ransom, are now triggering rising call for secession as well as politicisation of ethnic and religious differences.
“Bluntly put, the insecurity and its manifestations pose a dangerous threat to the unity of the country and its continued existence as one indivisible nation.
“How did we get here, and what can we do to change the narrative? We believe that finding a way out of the situation in which we have found ourselves requires teamwork, reflecting all diversities and leveraging on all our collective creativity to pursue with diligence the project of rescuing Nigeria.
“Perhaps, the correct starting point towards addressing these myriad of problems is the building of an ‘elite consensus’ on the security, unity, indissolubility and peaceful existence of Nigeria. Such elite consensus had worked in the past. Can we make it work now and proffer solutions, in order to stave off the threats to our unity as a nation?
“We have no doubt that with the seriousness of the issues involved, the expected contributions of a wide range of stakeholders and the quality of our panellists- this town hall meeting will go a long way in proffering solutions to what has now become an existential crisis.”
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