On Tuesday the 6th of June 2017, the leadership of Arewa youths or the Northern youths under the coalition of Arewa Youths organisation, rose from a meeting and made a declaration called “Kaduna Declaration” giving the igbo's 3 months ultimatum to take whatever that belong to them in the Northern part of Nigeria and move to their Biafra land. Failing to do so, that the youths will take the laws into their hands and make sure they carried out their threats because according to them, they said that they are the real player in the Nigeria nation and they can do as it pleased them because they own Nigeria states. Based on Punch News-paper and the Sun-news paper's headline of Tuesday news was
“The National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, had handed down the ultimatum at a well-attended press conference held at the Arewa House, Kaduna, on Tuesday. The ultimatum followed a successful sit-at-home order enforced by the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB on May 30, 2017, which the five South-East states complied with.”
First let me use this opportunity to congratulate people like Femi Kayoda boldness, the Yorubas under the leadership of Afenifere and the Middle Belt youth council for their love and courage they picked up to distance themselves and also offer protection to the igbo incase of eviction by the Northern Youths because without these two region or people. The threat by the 16 Arewa youths groups would have been achieved, had it been that the Yorubas under Afenifere and The middle-Belt were in total support of these their second evil plans. By now, there would have been an exodus of the igbo's in the Northern part of Nigeria. Though to some igbo's, it is a welcome development. And to some it is not a welcome development because of what they would have lost on the process.
The fact still remains that Northerners both their elders are hiding under the Youths and made these declaration based on their calculated mission to confiscate and inherit igbo properties as they inherited the 1967-1970 abandoned properties of the igbo during the civil war. They thought 1960s is 2017 where the old Yorubas, The middle belt and some part of the Niger Delta that helped them to achieve their evil plans then will support them again, but when they realised that these two groups did not support them, they changed tactics. Couple with the fact that there was a total condemnation by all regions in Nigeria including their main strong allies “ The middle Belt and the Afenifere Yorubas“ that helped them to confiscated the igbo properties during the civil war had distanced themselves and offer a safe heaven and accommodation to the igbo's in case if they were driven out of the North by this October 1 deadline of Kaduna Declaration.
Including “ the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF; Ohanaeze Ndigbo; and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB among others, condemned the statement by 16 Arewa youth groups with Governor El-Rufai calling for their arrests as ACF stated that the groups had no right to issue such a statement”. They decided to shift ground and make their new demand in a peaceful manner by issuing another demand to the federal government that “We urge the Federal Government of Nigeria to as a matter of urgency, initiate the process for a peaceful referendum to allow the Igbo to go. Let them go". “ The coalition had on Tuesday in Kaduna, ordered Igbo resident in the North to relocate within three months, saying that the region was no longer disposed to coexist with the them in Nigeria.
“Definite steps shall be taken by the North to end the partnership by pulling out of the current federal arrangement. “We are hereby placing the Nigerian authorities and the entire nation on notice that as from the 1st October 2017, we shall commence the implementation of visible actions to prove to the whole world that we are no longer part of any federal union that should do with the Igbo,” the coalition declared. The statement had attracted condemnation from government and prominent Nigerians across the country. The Kaduna State government on Wednesday ordered for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of those behind the inciting statement. Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, had also condemned the group, describing them as faceless. Thursday’s statement signed on behalf of the coalition by Abdulazeez Suleiman, said the coalition never called for violence or war against the Igbo, adding that the group’s statement on Tuesday was distorted. “Some elements have for reasons best known to them, mischievously distorted the intent of our original script by alluding such words as ‘violence, ‘ ‘threat, ‘ ‘war’ and ‘mass action’ to it.
“We find this mischievous because as cultured thorough bred northerners, we have never anywhere and at anytime, under whatever circumstances, called anybody to violence as a means of conflict resolution” the statement said. The group also lashed at the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima for allegedly taking side with the Igbo for selfish political ambition. The statement reads: “In strict observance of that tradition we never employ violence as a means of pursuing our interest and at every opportunity, we opt for peaceful engagements and implore people to eschew violence in all its ramifications.“This informs why, a majority of discerning Nigerians, not necessarily northerners alone, understood and identified with our express call for the Biafrans to be allowed to actualize their long-held secessionist aspiration”.
“We restate that we have never called anybody to violence and that people should discountenance the elements of fear and threat introduced by the distortions of merchants of mischief. “We wholeheartedly endorse the moves made variously by our leaders to allay those fears and urge people to be peaceful and law-abiding while at the same time resolutely insisting on having the right thing done by allowing the Igbo to have and move to their dream country in accordance with the universal fundamental right to self-determination. “We restate our determination and commitment to ensuring that the North will never partake in any contrived arrangement that would still have the Biafran Igbo as a component.
“We reiterate our call on Nigerian authorities and recognised international bodies such as the ECOWAS, AU and UN to hasten the initiation of the process for the final actualisation of the Biafran nation and with it the excision of the Igbo out of the present federation”.
My advice to the igbo leaving in the North is please as a matter of urgency, start planning how to relocate to the igbo land because the North have made their mind open and if anybody is telling you that all is well, brothers and sister all is not well because the muslim north hates you as christian. Sooner or later, they will still carry their plans.
In conclusion, I will say that it is better to separate in a peaceful way so that we could still remain good neighbours than to separate through war and be enemies.
The views expressed on this article are solely the authors opinion and I take the responsibility of what I have said here and it might differ with your own views, which is understandable.
Written By,
P O, Iwuama, (Bc)
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