This week, an amalgamation of different groups claiming to be speaking for the north issued an ultimatum to Igbo people residing in the north to vacate the region on or before the 1st Of October,2017. While different leaders, both elected and unelected, of the north have condemned these "Youth Leaders" the threat has brought about salient points that need to be clarified so that we do not learn the wrong lessons from this unfortunate event and we do not make false equivalences that might muddle up future events.
First and foremost, the claim by both the groups and their supporters that their call was an equal and justified response to the recent sit-at-home order by the Independent People's of Biafra (IPOB) is a malicious or at best ignorant assertion. IPOB, which in my thinking is a group to be kept under close watch, did not order members of other ethnicities to leave the south-east neither did it compel them to stay at home and ignore their businesses as members of the Hausa ethnicity were seen carrying out their normal activities in their enclaves without anybody harassing them. Since the IPOB did not restrict the free movement of other Nigerians I see no reason why that of the Igbo should be restricted.
Some people have also used this opportunity to lash out at the Igbo people as deserving of the threat as in their words " they are hateful and intolerant". But the facts do not support these assertions. In contrast experience has shown that the Igbo are among the less hostile of Nigeria's bigger ethnic groups. Since the 2000's ethno-religious crises have wracked the north with the Igbo being among the main casualties but how many times have we witnessed Igbo people carry out retaliatory attacks? The South-east is so peaceful and accommodating that even in the midst of the periodic crises going on in the north the number of people of Hausa-fulani extraction living in the South-east has risen astronomically as their safety is guaranteed. Not too long ago, some herdsmen attacked and killed many people in a community called Nimbo in Enugu state but the government acted responsibly and the indigenes never went on a reprisal on the huge Hausa-Fulani population neither did they order them to leave the East due to the peaceful nature of the Igbo people yet some people mischievously call the Igbo people hostile. One is tempted to ask; was it the Igbo people who killed the evangelist who was mowed down In the market for refusing a muslim man abulution space in Kano or the preacher in Abuja who was killed while observing her morning preachings?; was it the Igbo people that staged the recent Ife crises or that of mile 12 in Lagos or are Igbo people the ones mowing down farmers in the middle belt in numbers reminiscent of 1966 purge? The answers to these questions would determine whether the Igbo people are hateful and intolerant.
Lastly, some people have scoffed at the Igbo as lacking "balls" by their refusal to leave the north immediately abandoning their property in line with the northern groups directive and have said that it is in an indication of the non-viability and impossibility of Biafra. While believing in the great opportunity Nigeria provides for all her citizens in terms of the different endowments of the various regions I want to call these assertions as bullocks. I have never seen or heard of a seccession that happens overnight or suddenly. A referendum is first and foremost called and if the result is positive negotiations on the terms of negotiations begin on issues such as the sharing of debts,assets, compensations,the status of people living in the soon-to-be different territories, trade terms etc This can take years to accomplish. We can see it in the Brexit scenario involving the UK and the EU where the UK even after voting to leave the EU is expected to fully exit the organisation in the year 2019 after negotiations have ended. We can also see a similar process in the Paris climate accord which the United States has opted to leave but which will not materialize until 2020. Unions whether marriages, confederations or federations are not dissolved instantaneously and those who think otherwise are not smart or are simply naive.
In conclusion, I want to advise all Nigerians most especially the youths on various foras such as Nairaland to be careful of their utterances and to think before they talk as careless talk does not get you your goals; rather it costs you alliances in addition to the fact that you might just ignorantly be working against your interest.
CC TonyeBarcanista
amarabae
Super1star
Blue3k
malton
Bolustical
Pazienza
Afam4eva
fulanimafia
Guestlander

Nigeria belongs to everybody... Nobody must be bullied into leaving any part of his choice... The AYCF acted in bad faith irrespective of the inappropriate things associated with IPOB.

TonyeBarcanista:
Nigeria belongs to everybody... Nobody must be bullied into leaving any part of his choice... The AYCF acted in bad faith irrespective of the inappropriate things associated with IPOB.

Yes but I do not see how the sit-at-home ordered by IPOB affects the north as they were not harassed or restricted. Moreover the order was given to commemorate the beginning of the civil war which is the most tragic experience in Igbo history.

TonyeBarcanista:
Nigeria belongs to everybody... Nobody must be bullied into leaving any part of his choice... The AYCF acted in bad faith irrespective of the inappropriate things associated with IPOB.

No one has a monopoly of threats and abuse.

The reaction of Arewa Youths is a reaction to the action of abuse and threats by certain section of the nation.

You have the right to clamour for secession but you are infringing of the right of others to.live in peace by inciting genocide and preaching hate and abuse against others.

At least, the reciprocated threat has brought sanity into heads of the people that were running amock.

Super1Star:


No one has a monopoly of threats and abuse.

The reaction of Arewa Youths is a reaction to the action of abuse and threats by certain section of the nation.

You have the right to clamour for secession but you are infringing of the right of others to.live in peace by inciting genocide and preaching hate and abuse against others.

At least, the reciprocated threat has brought sanity into heads of the people that were running amock.

IPOB has indeed committed grievous wrongs but the reactions of the northern youths were in reaction to the sit-at-home order and I am yet to see how the order threatens the north.

Gravas
SalamRushdie

Maduawuchukwu:


IPOB has indeed committed grievous wrongs but the reactions of the northern youths were in reaction to the sit-at-home order and I am yet to see how the order threatens the north.

Gravas
SalamRushdie

The ipods or massobs and generally Igbos have the right to declare sit-at-home for 30days, as long as they do not harass and disturb the movement of others.

SW states have been declaring June 12 a public holiday day since 1999. There is no big deal in either the holiday or sit-at-home vacation.

The crux of the matter for me and for majority is the uncouth, unruly and crude manner in which iPod is going about the clamour for secession. The Northerners reacted based on t preach of hatred and calling for killing of other ethnicities by Nnamid Lunatic Kunnu.

The country needs restructuring, no doubt about it and Yorubas have said that since 1994.

For secession we have said it over and over again

1. Vote for pro-Biafra people into authority - Gov Senate and Reps.

2. Let them lead constitution amendment to recognise National Confab, Referendum And Secession

The rest will be history

Super1Star:


The ipods or massobs and generally Igbos have the right to declare sit-at-home for 30days, as long as they do not harass and disturb the movement of others.

SW states have been declaring June 12 a public holiday day since 1999. There is no big deal in either the holiday or sit-at-home vacation.

The crux of the matter for me and for majority is the uncouth, unruly and crude manner in which iPod is going about the clamour for secession. The Northerners reacted based on t preach of hatred and calling for killing of other ethnicities by Nnamid Lunatic Kunnu.

The northern youths gave the directive based on the sit-at-home order by the IPOB. It was the shock at the compliance that made them give their threat. I repeat they had no basis to issue the directive as the sit-at-home did not affect them.

Maduawuchukwu:


The northern youths gave the directive based on the sit-at-home order by the IPOB. It was the shock at the compliance that made them give their threat. I repeat they had no basis to issue the directive as the sit-at-home did not affect them.

Was that the 1st time the sit-at-home vacation will be heeded? No.

Yu are looking at symptoms and not the root cause.