Ahead of one more meeting Wednesday afternoon with all 36 State Governors to conclude his consultative sessions over certain ethnic agitations and exchanges between some groups in the South-East and the North, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has affirmed the readiness of the Federal Government to protect the territorial integrity of the country.

Prof. Osinbajo spoke Tuesday at a meeting with traditional rulers from the North at the Presidential Villa where he observed that traditional rulers play critical roles in the affairs of the nation.

Below are his full remarks:

I welcome you, our royal fathers, elders and leaders, to this important meeting. I thank you for taking the time to respond to our invitation to dialogue and engage with us. Your demonstration of commitment and leadership is heartwarming, and I have no doubt that we will all be enriched by our interaction today.

This meeting is the third in a series that commenced last week. I have met with Leaders of Thought from the North, and Leaders of Thought from the Southeast, and on Sunday with Traditional Rulers from the South-East. Yesterday you graciously consented to joining us at the Iftar, ahead of today’s meeting.

As Royal Fathers and Traditional Leaders, your place and your role in our society and nation is significant. You are the custodians of our cultures and traditions, and living embodiments of our rich heritage.

You are, by virtue of your vast knowledge, wisdom and experience, both a vital link with our past, and an important guarantee for the success of our future. This is why your role in national affairs is critical.

The reason for these series of meetings is well known to all of us: it became necessary in the wake of a spate of divisive statements, in recent months and weeks, pitting the South-East against the North. We are all aware of the so-called ‘ultimatum’ issued by a group of Northern youths, asking that all Igbos living in the North vacate the region.

Before then, there was the clamour – and it’s still ongoing – by some South-Eastern youths, operating as IPOB and affiliated groups, demanding secession from Nigeria.

In all our previous engagements with Northern and South-Eastern leaders, we all came to the consensus that Nigeria is stronger and better together, and that these hate-filled and divisive rhetoric and agitations are unjustifiable, unacceptable and often times illegal. And I would like to reiterate that today.

Nigeria has seen enough violence and bloodshed in its history, the price of our unity has already been paid in the blood and lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians.