*Urges media to focus on core issues as Buhari goes to UN
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
“Without doubt, Nigerians and the entire world will judge Yoruba Nation by the company it keeps. No one can take seriously this organisation if it continues its IPOB association. When their allies systematically trample human rights, it raises sober questions about their claims to uphold the values of the UN.”
The Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has expressed concerns over what it describes as a team up between Yoruba Nation agitators and terrorist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) against the country.
It said this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER.
According to the statement, whereas it is not unexpected that that Nigerian diaspora groups can use the world’s largest platform, United Nations General Assembly to garner attention to their causes, the presidency said it was shocking to see “Yoruba Nation” advocates during Tuesday’s protest in New York throw their lot in with IPOB.
“IPOB is a designated terrorist organisation. It has now publicly revealed a 50,000 strong paramilitary organisation.
“It regularly murders security services and innocent civilians, with a significant uptick of violent attacks this year. And it is currently attempting to hold Nigerian states hostage with orders to stay at home under threat of terror.
“Without doubt, Nigerians and the entire world will judge Yoruba Nation by the company it keeps,” it said.
The nation’s seat of power continued, “No one can take seriously this organisation if it continues its IPOB association. When their allies systematically trample human rights, it raises sober questions about their claims to uphold the values of the UN.
“The cooperation is a worrying development, once parsed with Yoruba Nation’s increasingly violent rallies in Nigeria.
“Actions and associations speak louder than words. Yoruba Nation’s talk of human rights promotion must therefore be ignored.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government will continue its work at the UN to fight against corruption and illicit financial flows, and international cooperation, the Presidency said in the Garba Shehu’s statement.
It added that, “If we want to see stolen funds returned to their rightful home in Nigeria, the government must continue to campaign for and coordinate global action on asset recovery.
“The government will remain the leading regional actor in the fight against global terror – particularly against threats emanating from the Sahel. Through the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps programme, the country also shares technical expertise with countries from the Caribbean, Africa and the Pacific.
“At the same time, the administration is implementing a programme of environmental sustainability to combat developments which destroys Nigerian communities in vulnerable regions.
“Only through the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development can we secure a prosperous future for Nigeria.
“As the largest country in Africa, the government takes seriously its leadership role and will continue to strive for continental unity, cooperation, and shared prosperity.
“Our expectation is therefore for the media to work with the government to focus attention on the core issues the President, the leader of the country has on his programme,” the statement said.
