Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has responded to the recent claim about his Igbo paternity.
He dismissed the suggestion with a laugh, asserting that no one should be excluded from any part of the country because “we own this country together.”
Obasanjo made these remarks during a meeting with the leadership of the Ndigbo Amaka Progressive Market Association, which represents major markets in Lagos State.
The meeting took place at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Thursday.
In a statement from his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo did not elaborate further on the paternity claim, simply stating, “It just makes me laugh.”
During the meeting, Obasanjo was approached by the group to lend his support to the establishment of the Owerri Central Market, which is set to become one of the premier markets in the country.
He acknowledged that the Central Market Owerri had been contemplated since the creation of Imo state, adding that for one reason or the other, it has not been implemented, “but, I am glad it is coming up again and I hope this time, we are all going to make it real. It is going to be big, the first of its kind.
“And, I am happy also that the Governor is showing the desired interest and understanding. And, I am confident that the Owerri Central Market will be, as he expressed the desire to lead the marketing team for the market,” he said.
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Obasanjo said he doesn’t believe anybody in Nigeria should be driven away from any part of the country asserting that, “we own this country together “
“Having ensured that the Yorubas, Igbos and Hausas all came together to fight the war of unity in Nigeria, and “not to fight Igbos to go, but to come. So if anybody says to me, that somebody should leave any place, he will be the one to leave.”
The group’s spokesperson Chief Emeka Dallas Emmanuel, who read a letter jointly signed by Comrade Chinedu Ukatu and Evangelist Iwuchukwu Ezenwafor said the market will be a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship assuring the group’s determination to play its role to the growth of the market and the nation.
He also sought the former President’s support for the realization of an international market that could significantly reduce street trading.
Emmanuel emphasized that the former President’s assistance would be instrumental in helping their members secure loans to purchase shops and spaces within the new market.