GOVERNOR UZODIMMA MESSAGE TO THE NATIONAL ONION PRODUCERS, PROCESSORS AND MARKETERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
*IMO STATE PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT
GOVERNOR UZODIMMA MESSAGE TO THE NATIONAL ONION PRODUCERS, PROCESSORS AND MARKETERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA.
"I have a duty as the Governor of Imo State to make sure that every Nigerian in this part of the country where I govern is protected.
So you don't need to have any doubt. The security extended to you by government will be the same extended to any other person no matter their language or color.
In every society, when some people are interested in peace, there are also some people who are interested in violence - but we pray to almighty God that those interested in peace should be more in number than those who are interested in violence.
Even among brothers, people disagree, even among us we disagree but when we disagree that does not mean that we should kill ourselves. We can disagree because of business, we can disagree because of interest but we must not hurt our brothers.
Those people who are interested in killing and robbing people of their properties and items, they don't know God. They may claim to know God but I can assure you that they don't know God because God has not given anybody licence to take the life of another person.
I think that what we need to do now, is to agree that first of all, some people are after us. When we understand that some people are after us, we now join hands together and ask who are these people after us - then we can go after them because if we unite, then as a government, we will now be in a position to go after them more than they can come after us.
We must love ourselves and we must know that when one of us is treated in a very bad manner then everyone is treated in a bad manner. And when I'm saying this I'm not saying this to the Northerners alone, I'm saying this to even the igbos in Imo State.
If we don't come together as a community to find out who are these people after us, who are the people who wants to destroy our country and then partner with government to go outside to defeat them, then something is wrong.
We also need to know who are our neighbours because some people are wearing their cloths in the name of Muslims but they are not Muslims and they are killing people in the name of Muslims.
They kill people as herdsmen but they are not herdsmen, so we have a job to find out who they are and what they do.
All those people who came here to hide under farmers or to hide under IPOB and also to hide under Fulani Herdsmen, to kill people; I am already after them. Before they know what is going on, we will know whether between the Government or the illegal people who is stronger.
Unfortunately we have lost some of our loved one.
The painful aspect is that no amount of money can bring the life of the loved ones that have died. It's not even about money because they are innocent people who died for doing nothing and the same people who killed them, think that they can go free?
Those who are behind the Killing of our brother Ahmed Gulak, they will never escape the wrath of God. God will go after them.
All we need to do, is to identify those who are impersonating us, especially those who call themselves Fulani Herdsmen, when they can't speak the language of the Fulanis. We need to identify them - we need to go after them.
The Muslim leaders and the Christian leaders need to come out and go to every community because even when there is disagreement we must have an amicable way of having agreement. Because we cannot live without each other. We cannot continue to live in disagreement because that is not what God has said. It is only what God said that will happen.
I have seen your request and we will guarantee you security.
We'll try to set up the committees that will help you to coordinate and move these vehicles when they are coming in. We can provide sufficient security to escort them to various markets where they are selling for them to sell their goods not only in Imo State but in the other parts of the South East.
And back to you my Northern brothers, we need you just like you need us. If you go to the Northern part, some of us are there, who are doing beautiful businesses. Some are Hotel owners, some are Pharmacists and Medical doctors. So as you're doing your business here, we are also doing our own there. So once we receive your people and treat them fine here, you also have to receive our people and treat them fine over there.
There is a confusion in Nigeria, but we must be one united Nigeria to enjoy living together and we must have to know ourselves to overcome.
We have seen your write-up of those who lost their onions and those who lost their livestock, I want to assure you that Government will do our best and not allow you to suffer the loss again. I will sit down with your leadership and work out what we can do to encourage your people because, I don't want you to be out of business. You have to continue your business because when you are idle and out of business you might be tempted to do one thing. So you must go back to business.
