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Obasanjo alleges war plot by PDP
•Lauds Udenwa
EMMA OGU,
Owerri, and agency report
PRESIDENT Olusgun Obasanjo
yesterday vowed that he would stiffly resist any move to plunge the country into
another civil war. He said some of those behind the plot belong to the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his own party, but did not mention names.
The possible causes of such war, particularly ethnicity and
religious bigotry, he added, would not be allowed to germinate.
The President disclosed these at the
palace of the traditional ruler of Owerri, the Imo State, capital, Eze Emmanuel
Njemanze, after he commenced a two-day tour of the state.
President Obasanjo, during the early part
of the visit, commissioned the ultra-modern state secretariat complex, the
housing units at the Nekede Exclusive Garden and the Songhai Farm project, in
company of Gov. Achike Udenwa and other prominent indigenes of the state.
Raising alarm that some forces are trying
to divide the country, President Obasanjo restated government’s resolve to
checkmate the plans of such unpatriotic people.
He stressed that as a leader of the PDP,
he would not allow such a thing to happen to the country again, adding that
government would resist those moves.
He said the beauty of democracy was in its
capacity to allow debate and dialogue, pointing out that after a consensus was
reached there must not be any going back.
Obasanjo said that all ethnic groups in
the country must define their interests "within the context of one Nigeria,"
pointing out that the refrain should be one Nigeria.
He stressed the need for Nigerians to live
in peace, noting that "there is enough in the country for our needs but not
enough for our greed".
In his welcome address, Eze Njemanze said
peace and security were necessary for development and commended the police in
the state for keeping it peaceful.
He also praised the President for his
administration’s economic reforms agenda and also commended him for sustaining
democracy.
Commissioning the new secretariat built by
Udenwa administration, President Obasanjo decried what he called the weak
maintenance culture of the country and said the situation must change.
"This is one area we are very weak,
Nigeria is seriously lacking in maintenance culture. Our governors and everyone
should look into this area", he said.
The President, who admired the buildings
at the complex, commended Gov. Udenwa for taking the bull by the horn in
starting and completing the project. Imo was the only one of the states created
in 1976 which had no state secretariat.
Obasanjo said the comfortable
accommodation provided for the workers in the secretariat will enhance their
productivity.
"I am really feeling like going into one
of these buildings and sitting down. If you want the best out of any group of
human beings, you give them comfortable environment to work in. You can now
expect the best out of them", President Obasanjo noted.
He also lauded the state for the
facilities provided in each of the 10 gigantic blocks in the complex, located at
new Owerri, such as the library, conference centre, cafeteria and water
facilities.
The president urged the workers to
maintain a healthy environment at the complex and avoid littering the area with
refuse.
"The way you live in your office is how
you live in your home. If your office is dirty, your house must be like that
too", he told the workers.
Similarly, the president expressed
pleasures at the housing units at the Nekede Exclusive Garden and noted that the
54 high income units were good enough for "retired governors.
"Even a retired governor can live here, I
mean he can buy one of the houses and live," he stated.
Commending Gov. Udenwa for executing the
project, Obasanjo noted that the exclusive garden is a neighbourhood that is
secure, with all the amenities including places of worship, in place.
While commissioning the project, the
president prayed that it will encourage those who will live there in their
economic activities.
At the Songhai Farm Project, also, in
Nekede, President Obasanjo emphasized the need for cultivating crops, stressing
that every crop fetches cash.
"I do not believe in the division of crops
into cash crop and food crop. Every crop fetches cash",
Earlier, the president’s jet had touched
down at the Sam Mbakwe Airport at 10.25am to a colourful reception.
He was accompanied by Ministers of
Education, Prof. Fabian Osuji and Water Resources, Alhaji Muktar Shehu Shagari,
Presidential Special Adviser on inter-party relations, Chief Rochas Okorocha as
well as Minister of Works, Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe.
Prominent Imo citizens who welcomed him include member of
the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Senators Arthur Nzeribe
and Ifeanyi Araraume, Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, Chief Innocent Opoaradike and Dr.
Jeff Ojinika.
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