Nigeria cannot be intimidated by economic sabotage – Oshiomhole

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Saturday said the recurring political disagreements among various interest groups in Nigeria were not justifiable reasons for the economic sabotage witnessed in some parts of the country.

Governor Oshiomhole, who spoke during the 56th Independence Day celebration at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, also said despite the destruction of public infrastructure by sponsored groups, Nigeria would not be intimidated.

He explained, “If things go wrong, as Karl Marx taught us, the masses will have nothing to lose. The political elite will have everything to lose. All of us must put the national interest over and above our personal interests.

“Our political frustrations cannot be an excuse to sponsor people to sabotage the economy, breaking pipelines and resorting to carrying arms to intimidate the state. The Nigerian state cannot be intimidated.”

He said the 1814 amalgamation of the then Southern and Northern protectorates ‎was an act “ordained by God” and maintained that the nation’s unity was not negotiable.

He also pledged the support of the state government to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.