Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State and chairman of the South-west Governors’ Forum, issued a warning to locals advocating for the Oodua Nation yesterday.
When introducing the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations at the state Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) Hall in Akure, the governor said that many lives had been lost for the country’s unity and vowed that the states of the South-West would not permit any unrest that would undermine the sacrifices of the country’s heroes.
No sit-at-home order will be accepted in any South-western state, according to Akeredolu, who emphasised how important the nation is to him and his government.
He also stated his opinion that the brave military personnel who had fought against Boko Haram, other acts of terrorism, banditry, and insurgencies in the country’s north, northwest, and other regions and who had in the process made the ultimate sacrifice deserved special recognition and appreciation.
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“Those calling for an Oodua nation will fail,” he declared. Unscrupulous people did not sacrifice their lives for this nation in order to destroy it. For some of us, this nation is incredibly significant. We respect people’s right to agitate or protest. However, if the police believe your acts to be treasonous, they will detain and charge you. We won’t repeat IPOB in Yoruba land at this point in the history of this nation. Possibility beckons to us. We simply cannot afford to miss that chance.
“We must work to ensure that there is a power-shift. The opportunity for the presidency to come to the south, especially the South-west, is around the corner. We will not sit down and support anyone clamouring for Oodua nation. We will not support it. We have fought for this with everything we had. Nigeria will be good.
“The security agencies will checkmate these unscrupulous enemies embarking on such frivolous activities. We have responsibilities now to soberly reflect on the plight of those who have laid down their lives and those who are still laying down their lives for the unity and peace of this country.”
Akeredolu particularly saluted the selfless and sacrificial services of the fallen heroes, who had laid down their lives in wars and peacekeeping missions around the world, and those currently serving, day and night, to guarantee the peace and unity of the country.
“Without the sacrifice and commitment of these officers and men of the Armed Forces, it would have been a matter of time before the whole country was overrun. The month-long Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration is, therefore, a golden opportunity for the government and the society at large to empathise and associate with widows and relations of our fallen heroes, especially those that were cut down in their prime.
“The onus is on us to soberly reflect on the plight of these categories of people and resolve to ensure that they live socially acceptable lives. It should be noted that the major reason for the Emblem Appeal Fund is to provide financial and material support to families of the fallen heroes, as well as veterans who survived various military operations with some sustaining varying degrees of injuries that had rendered them incapacitated.
“There is nothing too good or too much that we can offer that could replace the precious lives lost or remedy the deprivations and untold hardship suffered by the dependants of these heroes. We must, however, at all times and at every opportunity, give our financial and moral support so that those still alive and serving will be encouraged to give their best in the service of our dear fatherland,” the Ondo State governor declared.
