OSINBAJO WAS IN A MEETING TODAY WITH LEADERS OF ''THOUGHT'' FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES OF NIGERIA+READ THE FULL TEXT.{PHOTOS}

                Today wednesday,Acting President Osinbajo met with leaders from the southeastern state held at the old Banquet hall,state house,Abuja.Osinbajo said today ''Yesterday I kicked off a series of consultations and engagements with Leaders of Thought from Northern Nigeria.It was a useful meeting.Today's meeting,the second in the series,is with you,Leaders of Thought from Southeast.After this,I will meet with Religious and Traditional Leaders from the North and from the Southeast,on friday and Monday respectively.And then,in the final consultation,next week Thursday,all of us,from North and South,will come together in the same room,for furtherengagement and consultation.I also plan at some time in between to meet with the Nigerian Governors Forum.These consultations are necessary,and important,because of recent events in the country.You are all aware that there have been loud and sometimes hostile agitations by youth in the southeast,calling for secession of the region from Nigeria.Then there was the recent ultimatum issued by a group of youth from the North,asking all south-easterners living in the North to leave by October 1 this year.Both of these expressions and agitations from both sides,have been attended with some controversial and hateful vituperations including patently illegal and violence-inducing remarks.I firmly believe that we ought to address these agitations and proclamations urgently and decisively.Burying our heads in the sand and expecting the storm to blow over of their own accord is not an option.But equally not reasonable is falling for the temptation for tit-for-tat.It  has never worked or moved us closer to a solution or resolution.Ans so it is in our bid,as government,to deal with these pressing issues and grievances,that we have convened this series of consultations,with various groups.We will never shy away from the responsibility to ensure and uphold the peace and security of Nigeria.It is in my view the role and responsibility of those privileged in society to be leaders to chart a progressive and forty course for the ordinary people.As leaders,we carry the burden to secure the peace,progress and prosperity of our people,and that is why our voices ought to be heard and heard loud and clear at moments like this in the defense and articulation of what is truly beneficial to the nation and the people,and what is right and patriotic.Our dear nation has gone through some really difficult times.We have survived bloody coups,several rounds of ethno-religious violence,and emerged from a long and bloody Civil War.All of us here have seen close-up what violence can do to a country,and I believe I speak for us all when I say that no one here is keen to see Nigeria embroiled in violence or bloodshed of any kind.Especially not when we are only just emerging from a brutal insurgency that has consumed more than 20,000 of our brothers and sisters and children,as well as the better part of a decade.One thing is clear-violence and war are terrible things.They are easy to start but near impossible to end.Indeed you're all aware of the Igbo proverb that says that ''A man who rushes into battle does not realize that battle entails death''.We are witnesses to the unspeakable devastation that war continues to inflict across the world.No one who has seen the horrors of war-even just on television,would wish it on their worst enemy.It also guarantees the free mobility of people,goods and services  throughout the country,as well as full residence rights for every citizen in all and any parts of the land of their choice.It is also the aspiration of the Constitution to ensure a country in which,and I quote,''Loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties.And it is the responsibility of the Government to create the conditions for the attainment of these ideals.There is something that President Buhari is fond of saying: that without peace and security there can be no development.We cannot develop a country that is not in the first place safe and secure for all its people.For this reason we take extremely seriously our constitutional responsibilities as your government.Those responsibilities also include listening to,consulting,and engaging with you,giving every citizen and every part of the Federation a sense of belonging and significance.And that is why we are here today.I expect that we will be frank and constructive in all our delibration and discussion.This is an important moment for all of us,and I hope that at the end of it we will all be satisfied that we have accomplished something significant.By the grace of God we will leave to coming generations peaceful,secure and prosperous nation,a nation in whom all citizen,regardless of age,gender,and ethnic/religious affiliations,will feel deep and enduring pride.I now would like to listen to your views and interact with you on these issues as we together consider the future of our great country.Thank you very much.May God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria''.More photos below.