President Mohammadu Buhari has once more shown non tolerance to agitators for the state of Biafra, when he stated that Nigeria would not tolerate the state of Biafra. The president spoke against the backdrop of the renewed agitation for the actualization of the republic of Biafra.
Appearing on Aljazeera television during his last visit to Qatar, Buhari recalled that over two million lives were lost during the Nigeria civil war between 1967 to 1970 on the demand of a Biafran state. He said “At least two millions Nigerians were killed in the Biafra war.
And for somebody to wake up may be they weren’t born. Looking for Biafra after two millions people were killed, they are joking with the security and Nigeria won’t tolerate Biafra.”
He also spoke on the state of Nigerian economy and the pressure to devalue the Naira. According to him, Nigeria was prepared to go against the advice of International Monetary Fund, IMF in that regard. He maintained that the devaluation of the Naira would not pay Nigeria, saying the country was purely an import nation.
He also stated that despite the plummeting crude oil prices in the international market, it would pay Nigeria to remain in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC. “If it is against our national interest, why can’t we go against the IMF advice?” Buhari asks.
“We were unable to diversify our economy, hence we are much more disadvantaged by the lower oil prices. Nigeria will make the necessary sacrifice to remain in OPEC”, he said.
Commenting on the anti-terrorism war, the president said that no local government area of Nigeria is under the control of the Boko Haram insurgents as was the case when he assumed office in May 2015.
-Emmanuel Ikechukwu
