By Celephina Onovo
The much anticipated handshake across the Niger was taken a notch further on Thursday when leaders of the South East and their counterparts in the South West met in Enugu to honour two of their own – Johnson Aguyi- Ironsi and Adekunle Fajuyi.
Ironsi and Fajuyi were the best of friends as military officers and were killed in 1966 during the reprisal attack launched against Igbo officers by Hausa Fulani army officer.
Ironsi as then head of state was killed in the South West as a guest to Fajuyi. The latter also paid with his life trying to stop Hausa army officers from killing his guest.
The meeting attracted the who is who from the two zones mainly from the Yoruba socio- cultural organisation, Afenifere and from the Igbo Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Ayo Adebanjo, Pa Fasoranti, Olu Falae, Olusegun Mimiko, Yinka Odumakin, Femi Fani- Kayode among others attended the meeting and spoke glowingly on what united rather than what divided the Yoruba and the Igbo.
Also in attendance was a leader of the South South, Tony Uranta.
It was an opportunity for the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo to reiterate the need for the Yoruba and the Igbo to work as friends in the interest of Nigeria, relying more on what unites rather than what separates them.
All the speakers spoke glowingly on the relationship between Ironsi and Fajuyi and suggested it should not be taken for granted despite all odds.