Obasanjo, Governors, Ministers, Others Furious

THERE was spontaneous anger among senior citizens, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, following the explosion, which rocked the UnitedNations building in Abuja.
Obasanjo, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, and the Governor of Abia state, Chief Theodore Orji, condemned the attack, saying the perpetratorsshould be fished out and brought to justice.
While the former president pleaded with the international community to stand by Nigeria at this trying moment, the deputy speaker accused the culprits of the heinous crime of a cowardly act.
Obasanjo, who spoke with newsmen on the telephone from Sierra Leone, said the attack was not in the best interest of Nigeria.
The deputy speaker said, “Human life is the most valuable asset on the planet and for somepersons or groups no matter what grievances they bear, tocause the lives of fellow human beings to be destroyed in callous circumstances like the reported explosion is most reprehensible, unacceptable, and extremely condemnable”.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof.Viola Onwuliri, describedit as an attack on the international community, saying thatthe situation was underinvestigation.
The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, expressed shock, saying it was a cause for concern for Nigeria.
While expressing disgust over the tragedy, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, the acting Director-General of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), however, said it was a wake-up call for security agencies in the country.
He explained that the incident would not affect the nation’s demand for a UN Security Council seat, adding that, “the quest is based on criteria, not criminality as terrorism is not unique to Nigeria alone.”
The Ondo State government condemned the blast, describing it as not only reprehensible, but antithetical of all sane reasoning.
“We condemn this act of terrorism as unacceptable, anachronistic, retrogressive, reprehensible, odious, barbaric and against thecommandment of God to shed lives and destroy property at will for base reasoning,” its statement stated.(Nigerian Tribune)