Ex governor Orji Uzor-Kalu, has said the pro-Biafra protesters have the legal right to self-determination, but faulted the manner in which its been done.
Speaking to newsmen on Sunday, December 6, at the Abuja airport, in reaction to the ongoing Biafra protests in parts of the country, former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu, was quoted to have said, "If he is the Commander- in -Chief, and one of his soldiers is killed, he will kill everybody."
The chairman of SLOK Holding said the pro-Biafra protesters have the legal right to self-determination, but faulted the manner in which its been done. He advised the federal government to dialogue with the pro-Biafra protesters and put an end to the agitation.
He also gave some hints to the FG on steps to be taken to halt the protest. Below is the full speech:
"Those boys are right, they have a right to demonstrate, but not violent demonstration, not killing soldiers because if I am a Commander- in -Chief, and you kill one of my soldiers, I will kill everybody. You cannot kill soldiers. You cannot kill police. You have a right to say no, we want our own Republic.
The United Nations charter gives them the right to ask for self-determination. It is not a right of determination to go and destroy people’s properties, to go and destroy Nigerian Armed Forces, whether it is Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy or Nigerian Police. These are not the rights. They have the right to speak for self-determination. This is the full right.
If I am president, I will set up either traditional rulers and some political leaders to go and ask the boys what they really want, what is really their problem, what can be done to stop them from asking for this. This is how Boko Haram started killing members of Catholic Church, and as a Catholic, I spoke vehemently against it. I told you airport correspondents that they will finish killing the Catholic and will go and start killing everybody and it happened.
When kidnapping just started, then I was governor, they were kidnapping white people and I spoke out. I said when they finished kidnapping white people and there were no more white man to kidnap, they would start kidnapping us and that is what is happening in the country today.
So, I will advise the Federal Government. This is a federation, you need to manage the federation. Some people must ask for self-determination. It is the management of the people that matters. President Buhari, as a matter of fact, should set out traditional rulers, set out people, set out securities and intelligent agencies to intervene.
They should be more intelligent than policemen or military people carrying guns. They should find a way and tell the boys that what they are doing is not the right thing to do. So, it is left for the Federal Government. This is the right time to nip the agitation in the bud, but not by force. It is a wrong strategy hearing people saying that we will quench it by force. We cannot quench anything by force because it is their right to ask for self- determination.
But is it the right thing to do in a bigger country like ours? It is only a president that doesn’t know what he wants that will want a section of his country to go. I think negotiation is part of democracy," Kalu said.
Source: Y! Naija
