Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.), on Sunday said he would support any group with a template that will ensure unity and stability of Nigeria.
Speaking when he received the new Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly (NLSA) led by Tanko Yakasai, Babangida said politics is all about togetherness and not about bitterness against any segment of the society.
While aligning himself with the group and what it stands for, the man popularly known as IBB urged the members to interact with politicians across the regions of the country, irrespective of religious inclinations or political party affiliations, because “they (politicians) know what they need.”
Babangida said: “Anything within the context of one Nigeria is noble. I will support and bless what you are doing, but be sure you are fair in your dealings with Nigerians.
“This move has answered my questions and put away my worries about the essence of one Nigeria. The Assembly will go a long way in cementing the unity of the North and indeed Nigeria.”Yakasai, chairman of NLSA, had earlier told the former Nigerian leader that the Assembly’s mission was to promote unity among the country’s cultural and political divides in the Northern region.
He said: “This Assembly is political but non-partisan. It is political in the sense that the door is open to all Northerners, irrespective of their ethnicity, differences of religious and political belief or sectional background.
“Although the idea to form this body has come when our country is approaching general elections, the formation of the organisation has nothing to do with the elections. We are aiming at something far beyond this year’s electioneering.”
Yakasai further pointed out that the Assembly shall also not be an affiliate of any particular political party, ethnically-based group or religious body.
