Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige has reacted to the agitation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in the Southeast.
Ngige said the separatist group had brainwashed people of the Southeast into believing that Biafra would bring an end to unemployment and economic challenges in the region.
He, however, cautioned against such a notion, stressing that the Nigerian government was working towards resolving those challenges.
The minister spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Association of Eze Ndigbo in the 19 Northern States and Abuja yesterday.
Ngige said, “People have been brainwashed and the separatists humped on that foundation to now shout from the rooftops that we will give you Biafra and when we give you Biafra, all these things will disappear.
“There is no country that does not have its own problems. We have economic problems here, which is why we have unemployment and of course, we have a youth bulge in our population.
“About 60 per cent of them are youths and a lot of them are unemployed.
“So, the government is devising ways to tackle that. It is a work in progress.”
IPOB led by Nnamdi Kanu has been at the forefront of the agitation for Biafra.
The Kanu-led IPOB has anchored its agitation on the Nigerian government’s failure to improve the Southeast’s economic well-being.
IPOB also anchored its agitation on the alleged marginalization of the region by the current Nigerian government.
