Nigeria will not break up- Gowon assures

Against the continued agitation by some aggrieved Nigerians for secession, a former Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Monday gave the assurance that the nation would not break up but remain united as he left it about 41 years ago.

The elder statesman gave the cheering remark at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) held at the Conference Centre of the institute located at Moniya, Ibadan where many other dignitaries including former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina were in attendance.

Others included the Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who was represented by his deputy, Otunba Moses Adeyemo, the Olubadan of Ibadan Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, the Aje Ogungunniso 1; the Chief Executive Officer of Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Dr. Joe Makoju, Special Adviser to Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who represented his boss, a former Prime Minister of of Democratic Republic of Congo, Matata Ponyo Mapon; Minister of Agriculture and Livestock in Burundi, Dr. Deo-Guide Rurema; Chairman, IITA Board of Trustees, Dr. Bruce Coulman; IITA Director General, and Dr. Nteranya Sanginga.

The anniversary, which also witnessed the commissioning of the $700,000 Akinwumi A. Adesina Agripreneurs Building, a training facility for capacity development for youth agripreneurs, funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and IITA was chaired by Chief Obasanjo.

Speaking with journalists, Gowon, said: “I am not scared for the unity of the nation. I have confidence in Nigeria and the youths of this country that they will make sure that they take over and do better than we left for them.

“I have no fear about all these rantings and so on. I have confidence that the youths of this nation will keep Nigeria going and make it greater. Diversity is our source of unity and strength,” he stressed, while advising the youths of the country to get involved actively in agriculture.

According to him: “The average age of farmers in Nigeria is 60. Soon, they will pass on and that includes me. We have to encourage the younger ones to be interested in agriculture so that they can take over from the older generation that have been feeding the nation. This is what happens in Europe, America and China today and we must encourage it in Nigeria.”

Speaking, Osinbajo,who was represented by Adesina, enjoined IITA to partner with Nigeria in dealing with new challenges confronting the country.

According to him: “These are new and very serious existentialist issues in Nigeria and indeed all of Africa. The first and most urgent is that of the population bulge. At over three per cent growth per annum, we are reportedly heading for 450 million persons by the year 2050. That places Nigeria in the third place after China and India, and in a world of nine billion humans,that Nigeria alone is five per cent of the world’s population.”