Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor has asked Nigerian government to permit leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to return to Nigeria.
The Senate Chief Whip said negotiations for Kanu’s return would involve abandonment of his movement for the creation of an independent state of Biafra.
Kalu’s appeal was made on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The former governor expressed displeasure at misleading statements and unverified reports media houses publish about him.
He cited an instance of his promise in an interview to transform Nigeria to a 21st century nation if he had the chance to govern the country but some online news outlets misquoted him to have said the 20th century.
“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?” he said.
Reacting to the recent clash between members of IPOB and security forces in Enugu, Kalu said he believes in unified Nigeria.
Kalu said, “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.