Northern Elders: You must go
ACF, Middle Belt: Don’t go

By VINCENT KALU, Lagos, NOAH EBIJE, Kaduna and ABDULLAHI HASSAN, Zaria

The North appears divided over the October 1 quit notice served Igbo in the region as the Northern Elders Forum expressed support for the decision of the youths even as they slammed governors of the region for condemning the youths.

Spokesman of the Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi in an interview with Saturday Sun, described the ultimatum given to Igbo to leave the North, by a coalition of Northern Youths as right and an exercise of their freedom of expression.

According to him, “Our youths are getting tired with recurrent insult of Southern groups which include molestation and killings of Northerners in Southern communities especially by Igbo.

“The southerners are always accusing and insulting our leaders in the North, sometimes killing our people, if our youths try to react, some Northern leaders would suppress them or even blame them against the southerners.

“If Biafrans are not happy with the federal structure of Nigeria and they want to cut-off, what is wrong if our boys react? That is what I have been saying long ago, anybody who feels he does not want to be part of Nigeria, could come for dialogue, so there is nothing wrong with the action of the Arewa youths’’

Taking a swipe at Northern governors for condemning the decision of the youths, the former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University said, “ I read in the news paper that Northern governors are accusing our boys , the governors’ statement is baseless and they said the youths have no right to speak for the North. The governors’ statement is baseless and absolutely wrong.

“The governors should remember that they are representing people, not the region, so every person has a right to speak for himself or group he represents, after all the youths are Northerners like them.’’

He stated further, “The governors should know that we have never heard their statement condemning threats against Northerners by Biafrans , or the attitude of their southern governors on Northern communities in the South.

“ When Nnamdi Kanu was released from prison , more than hundred cars escorted him to his residence, with his leaders supporting his actions , but Northern governors have never talked about it. This is Kanu who is agitating for disintegration but is receiving colourful treatment , more than our boys who just ask Igbo to leave the North for Biafra republic’’.

He wondered why “Northern governors should order the arrest of Arewa youths over their rights. It’s ok, let the governors arrest them, and get satisfied’’.

He said the Forum believes that the only way “we can ensure peace in the nation is by telling ourselves the truth and act on the truth.”

Some other leaders of the region however appear determined to douse the tension created by the coalition of youth groups and as such, they are now pleading with the Igbo, to ignore the go-home order issued on Wednesday by the Arewa youths.

Speaking with Saturday Sun on the latest move by some Northern leaders to calm the tension, foremost pro-North socio-cultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) condemned the statement credited to Arewa youths asking the Igbo to vacate the North.

General Secretary of ACF, Mr. Anthony Sani said the north will not allow Igbo to go in the face of recent threat. The ACF scribe said “this is because it is unconstitutional to force one group of people out of a place that everybody is bounded by the law.

“The North is opposed to the ultimatum because it is unconstitutional. What is more, the ultimatum is capable of breaching peaceful coexistence. While it may be true that no group is indispensable, we believe that certain benefits of our togetherness are more than the uncertain gains of split. We do not want our temporary challenges which are not beyond redemption to redefine our common destiny and set our national agenda”

On its part, the Middle Belt Youths Forum (MBYF), is offering to accommodate all Igbo residing in the north should Arewa youths make good their threat.

President, MBYF, Emma Zopmal in a reaction said Middle Belt has been home for Ndigbo, South-South and the South-West without any form of discrimination against anyone, adding that the region had accommodated every Nigerian for centuries.

In the same vein, Second Republic Minister, and Deputy Leader of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Paul Unongo, said the position of NEF is clear and even more properly expressed than that of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).

According to him, “This country went to war and killed about two to three million of its citizens to create a nation of all the tribes, and no single child has anything guaranteed to his or her other than the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Igbo are free and very very free and shall remain free to stay in any part of Nigeria according to their wish, and nobody is driving them away.

“They and people of the North fought a civil war to stay together. I think the children of these people are expressing disappointments that have not been possible to find the best way they can live together. That is the challenge of the youth.

“It is not the youth to come and tell us that we are stupid. We are in one country, those who are industrious can benefit from their industries being put to bear according to the development of Nigeria.

“It was unfortunate that some young men came out and made some irresponsible statements, claiming that they were the youth of the North, when they don’t represent anybody; they don’t represent the youth of the North.

“So, that statement ought to have been ignored, but because Nigeria is a very funny country, where people make something out of nothing.”





http://sunnewsonline.com/north-splits-over-igbo/

Fake News.

seriously

did anybody else notice that the northerners asking the igbos not to go are all Christians while those asking them to go are Muslims?

Na wah.

No more One North.

They divided the East.

May the same thing happen to their region.

Some northerners wants to join BIAFRA....Even them don tire for this mess called Nigeria...lol

In all, let peace reign. Whether we stay together as restructured entity or separate nations, we need peace to achieve it.

hornyofife:

According to him, “Our youths are getting tired with recurrent insult of Southern groups which include molestation and killings of Northerners in Southern communities especially by Igbo.

“The southerners are always accusing and insulting our leaders in the North, sometimes killing our people, if our youths try to react, some Northern leaders would suppress them or even blame them against the southerners.

Someone should please sue this guy for libel and slander. Who is killing his people or is it not the other way round?

mekuzi09:
In all, let peace reign. Whether we stay together as restructured entity or separate nations, we need peace to achieve it.

Separate nations will be better

I have started to envisage the ethnic cleansing and massive Jihad that will take place once the Igbos detach from zoogeria cos Igbos are the only people holding descendants of danfodio back from stretching their jihad up to tincan island Lagos.
I can't wait for 1st October to come
Biafra my new pride of abode!!!

she's a gogo dancer....

deedeedeee2:

Separate nations will be better

Yes. Much better. But I don't like the Nigerian rhetoric. They are too barbaric with their approach of war on anything that goes against their interest or logic. In this 21st century, there are more diplomatic ways of settling issues. Having Biafra should not infringe on the right of an Arewa citizen from owning businesses or properties in Biafra, and same goes for Igbos. But the Nigerian contest is very different. Why evict people because they asked for their own country? Ok, if this sound logical to the Arewa Youths, other nationalities, like Ghanians or Togolese, should leave the North too. Nigerians are still on the process of evolving into complete homo-sapiens.