Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno state, says during his days as a student in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, he was very interested in local meals such as amala and ewedu.
The Cable quoted Zulum as speaking on Saturday when he paid a courtesy visit to Seyi Makinke, his Oyo counterpart, recalling how peaceful Ibadan was during his postgraduate days in the state.
Zulum was in Oyo to receive “The Most Distinguished Alumnus” award from the Alumni Association of University of Ibadan — he bagged a master’s degree in agriculture engineering from UI in 1998.
The governor, who said many northerners came to study in Ibadan because it was peaceful, appealed to residents and stakeholders not to allow sentiments to destroy the peace in the state.
According to him, he and his mates walked the city in search of “our delicious foods” including amala and ewedu, the most prominent native food of the Yoruba.
He expressed optimism that Nigeria will continue to be united in spite of the many challenges plaguing the country.
“We decided to pay the governor a visit over the recent unfortunate incidents that happened in Oyo state. The most recent one is the inferno at the spare parts village here in Ibadan. We continue to pray that such an incident will never happen again,” Zulum said.
“Your Excellency, Ibadan (was) a very peaceful city. Coincidentally, my predecessor is also an alumnus of the University of Ibadan. Many of us in the north, especially those of us that are in the academic environment, did our postgraduate studies here at the University of Ibadan.
“This is not as a fact of coincidence but because of the peace that we (had) in Ibadan. We walked across the length and breadth of this ancient city — Shasa, Ojo, Mokola, Sango, Gate, Bodija — across everywhere, to look for some of our delicious foods — ewedu, amala.
“It has been a very nice stay for all of us and I hope we do not allow sentiments to destroy the very important culture of these great people here in Ibadan.
“We will continue to stay together, live in peace and harmony for the betterment of Nigeria. We are most grateful for the warm reception accorded to us.”
