The South-East Yoruba Community Forum (SYCF) has stressed the need for peaceful co-existence of Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic and religious inclinations. The group gave the charge after a delegates’ meeting of Yoruba communities in the five South-East states held in Enugu. President of Yoruba Community in Enugu, Isiaka Salmon, who spoke with newsmen at the end of the meeting, said peace and unity of Nigeria is paramount and superior at the moment. Isiaka said the meeting, which was meant to deliberate on the way forward for Yoruba in South-East, also focused on the need to continue to be their brothers’ keepers. He said: “We also looked at the way we are living in the South-East and emphasised that we must continue to live in peace and harmony with our host communities. “Our relationship with the host-states, particularly Enugu, has remained quite cordial. Though we’re still expecting it to get even better, that’s why we are always making conscious effort to support the government.” Isiaka, who debunked the impression that Yoruba do not see South-East as inhabitable enough to invest in it, further said: “I want to tell you that it is false to say that Yoruba don’t invest in the South-East. Yoruba living in the South-East see the region as their home. So, that orientation has changed as we now have a lot of our brothers having various investments in the region. “So, if you go to various states of the South-East, you find out that our people are really contributing immensely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the states. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. “On politics, we are not shying away from participating in the politics of the states. In fact, some of us have been contesting elections but it never went our way. But we’re participating in politics.”
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