The Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, on Sunday, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, disclosed that his principal is willing to dialogue to address agitations in the south-east.
Government facilities in the south-east sub region have been targets, which has also resulted in the deaths of several seccurity operatives in the same area.
The security agencies accuse the secessionist group, IPOB of complicity in the attacks and deaths, an accusation the group denies.
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Stakeholders in the region and her sympathizers have decried the marginalization of the region, which is fuelling the call for secession in south-east.
The Minister stated that the current administration is working out some modalities to ensure that the people of the south-east do not “feel unwanted” in Nigeria.
“We also looked at the security situation, especially in my zone, the south-east, and we made some proposals to him based on the yearnings on the people, and what the government also wants,” the minister said.
“We are following up with dialogue, which at the end of the day, is what will happen. We have to talk; we have to discuss. Part of the discussion starts tomorrow. The minister of defence, minister of interior, and service chiefs were in Enugu last Saturday and we’re going to do follow-up meetings on that.
“We briefed him and he accepted that dialogue is the way to go in all this. Like I keep on saying, there is a very thin line between perception and reality. So, certain things will be done, at least to assuage the feelings of the people in the area, and make them not feel unwanted.”
