Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Monday expressed faith in the unity of the country, saying that the country will never break up.
“Nigeria has come to stay,” Mr Obaseki said while receiving the visiting Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Tukur Buratai, a retired lieutenant-general, at Government House, Benin.
Mr Buratai served as the chief of army staff between 2015 and 2021 before his appointment as an ambassador.
“We are facing our challenges like other countries in the world and that is why we need leaders like you. We will continue to do our own beat in contributing to the harmony and unity of Nigeria,” the governor told the ambassador.
Mr Obaseki said the country was building on the “foundation” laid by Mr Buratai in combating insecurity.
The former army chief was in Edo to inaugurate a centre – Buratai Centre for Contemporaries Security Affairs – named after him at Igbinedion University, Okada.
Mr Obaseki said, “The foundation you laid as chief of army staff, is what we are building on today. You are here in Edo because we appreciate what you have done for this country.
“Our Esama (Gabriel Igbinedion) of Benin, who we are very proud of, is a man of foresight, who is always full of gratitude, and named that centre after you.
“It was deliberate because at no time in our history have we faced the kind of security challenges as you faced as chief of army staff.
“We could see how God used you to overcome those challenges.
“For us as a state, the relationship we have with the military today was laid during your tenure.
“You are here today to commission a centre; at no time in our history do we need to focus on security as strategically as we should now“As a state, we will continue to work with the national authorities,” the governor said.
Mr Buratai commended Governor Obaseki for his administration’s infrastructural projects in Edo and thanked him for his continuous support to the Nigerian Army.
He said the establishment of the constabulary’s security outfit in Edo would enable the civil authority and military to work together to achieve the needed security.