Senate Chief Whip and a former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has appealed to the Nigerian government to allow the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB), Maazi Nnamdi Kanu, to return to Nigeria.
Kalu said negotiations for Kanu’s return would also include dropping the secessionist plan of creating a new country called Biafra.
Kalu made the appeal on Tuesday morning while fielding questions from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He also raised concerns about journalists publishing unverified stories about him, adding that several media houses have continued to spread rumours and misquote his statements.
The Senate Chief Whip, who gave an instance of his online interview where he mentioned that he would turn Nigeria to a 21st century if had a chance to lead the country, said that some bloggers misquoted him to have mentioned the 20th century.
He said, “I am a friend of the press, but it is time they leave me alone. You can’t just publish news about me without verification. We have many good journalists in the country, but several others want to sell their papers and stories with sensational headlines.
“How can you rewrite the 21st century to 20th century just to sell your news?”
While responding to questions on the recent altercation between members of IPOB with security personnel in Enugu recently, Kalu said he is an ardent believer of unified Nigeria.
He added, “Nigerians are so entangled with each other that we can’t talk about separation. We are a united country, and our focus should be on taking advantage of our population to build a more robust economy.
“We have reached a point where all Nigerians should be canvassing for strong institutions where rule and order are observed; where the hardware and software components of a democratic nation are comprehensively promoted.
“If the federal government permits me, I will go to the United Kingdom and negotiate with Nnamdi Kanu to return to Nigeria. I will convince him to drop the agitation for Biafra because our people don’t need it. We need a united Nigeria that will allow different cultures and tongues to live peacefully in any part of the country: A country where people can comfortably do their businesses without fear of the unknown,” he said.
