President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Daura called on Nigerian youths to make Nigeria great again through pursuit of knowledge, patriotism and commitment to values that promote national unity.
He made the call while receiving over 100 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Daura local government area of the state.
Buhari, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, also pledged his unalloyed commitment to the unity and prosperity of Nigeria.
He urged them to remain focused in life, pursue their dreams and reject those fanning embers of discord and disintegration of Nigeria.
Recognizing corps members from the Niger Delta and South-East states serving in Daura, the President praised the vision of former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, for setting up the scheme in 1973.
He said the scheme has creditably promoted national unity and cohesion by exposing young people to the uniqueness and cultural diversity of Nigeria.
โI asked for those from the other extreme of Nigeria because I very much appreciate the NYSC scheme and whenever I see Gen. Gowon, I always thank him for that,โโ President Buhari said
Speaking specifically to corps members from the South East states, he said: โTell your colleagues who want Biafra to forget about it.
โAs a military commander, I walked from Degem, a border town between the north and the east, to the border between Cameroon and Nigeria.
โI walked on my foot for most of the 30 months that we fought the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, in which at least two million Nigerians were killed.
โWe were made by our leaders to go and fight Biafra not because of money or oil, because oil was not critical factor then, but because of one Nigeria.
โSo if leaderships at various levels failed, it was not the fault of the rest of Nigerians who have no quarrel with one another.
โSo please tell your colleagues that we must be together to build this country. It is big enough for us and potentially big enough in terms of resources.
โThose who work hard will earn a respectable living. I have seen this country, I fought for this country and I will continue to work for the unity of this country.โ
