ELDER statesmen from southern Nigeria under the aegis of Eminent Leaders of Thought, ELT, met on Thursday, July 20, to find ways to foster national unity and douse rising tension in the country.

The meeting, attended by notable personalities, including Prof. Ben Nwabueze, Gen. Alani Akinrinade (retd), Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (retd), Chief Ayo Adebanjo, former governor Gbenga Daniel and Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (retd), among others, was aimed at having a national consensus on the political restructuring of Nigeria.

After the meeting, Olawale Okunniyi, secretary of the group, said the leaders of thought had formed a group, known as Project Nigeria Movement to serve as the engine room to reach out to all sectors of the nation in the bid to find a lasting solution to the tension in the country.

Okunniyi said the meeting was inconclusive as the leaders had decided to embark on further consultation before coming up with a communique on the position of the ELT on the burning issue of restructuring.

He said the group didn’t believe in the disintegration of Nigeria, even as he disclosed that one of the reasons it did not reach a compromise on what to do was because they could not conclude on the procedure on how to go about the restructuring issue.

He said as soon as the modalities were worked out, Nigerians would be informed on the position of group. Asked about the position of the ELT on the ultimatum given by northern youths to the people of  eastern region to leave the north by October 1 and the call by Nnamdi Kanu-led Independent People of Biafra, IPOB, for a Republic of Biafra, Okunniyi said these, among others,  were issues the new movement would look into and find a common ground to keep the corporate entity of Nigeria.

—  Jul 31, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT