Standup9ja:
Igbo Quit Notice; Northern Elders Forum backs Arewa youths
The Northern
Elders’ Forum (NEF), on Friday expressed support to the call by the Coalition
of Northern Youth Groups for Igbos to leave the region within three months.
The forum
expressed “disappointment” with the Northern Governors’ Forum for disowning the
youth groups.
Prof. Ango
Abdullahi, the NEF spokesperson told newsmen in Zaria on Friday, that it was
hypocritical for the Igbos to continue to live in other parts of the country
while agitating for Nigeria’s break up.
Ango said:
“I am disappointed in the decision taken by Northern Governors’ Forum disowning
and condemning the agitation by this young agile and progressive youth groups.
“Let me ask,
these Northern governors, whom are they representing, are they representing
spirits, ghost or people of the north?
“Recently,
people from eastern part of this country, specifically Igbo, were busy calling
for the Sovereign State of Biafra and from all indication their leaders
including governors are behind them.”
According to
him, whoever feels Nigeria “is not conducive for him” let him quit, adding that
what the northern youth groups did was not a sin.
He lamented
that none of the Northern governors reacted to the persistent call for the
actualisation of Biafra and other agitations.
The
spokesman said when Nnamdi Kanu was released on bail recently, over 100
vehicles escorted him to his residence including big personalities from the
south-west and south-east.
“This is
somebody who has been agitating for the breakup of Nigeria but his people were
behind him, therefore, I am behind the youths.
“This is
because the Northern youths are pushed to the wall, we have been calming them
down in any event similar to this,” he noted.
Speaking
specifically on the Igbos, Ango said the people from the south were always
pretending that people from the north were cheating them.
“These people always pretend that the North is
cheating them, not minding the fact that Southern Nigeria was developed by
resources from the North.
“Please,
look for a book written by Adamu Fika, the Waziri of Fika on Nigeria’s budget
before and after independence.
“Each year,
up to the time Nigeria gained its independence, none of the two regions was
able to provide for itself.
“I mean none
of the Western and Eastern regions had the money to effectively run the affairs
of its region until they get financial support from the Northern region,” he
said.
He recalled
that the tradition had remained during the colonial masters and nothing changed
after they left the country.
Ango said it
was the same money from the North that was used to construct Nigerian Railways,
refineries and other facilities.
“First oil
exploration was conducted using money from groundnut pyramid, cotton, hide and
skin among other cash crops from Northern Nigeria.
“However,
these people tend to forget all these goodies provided by the North toward
ensuring the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.
“They always
look down on us, feeling that Northerners are parasites in this country,” he
said.
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