Prominent Northern youth organisations, on Tuesday, rose
from a joint meeting called ‘Kaduna Declaration’ to issue a serious threat to
the Igbo residing in the region urging them to begin making arrangements to
relocate out of the North.
The groups gave the Igbo up till October 1, this year to
leave the region.
Their declaration was premised on the shut-down of major
towns in south eastern part of the country on
May 30, by members of the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and their sponsors.
These Northern youths organisations, which had their
arrowheads in attendance, include Arewa Citizens Action for Change, Arewa Youth
Consultative Forum, Arewa Youth Development Foundation, Arewa Students Forum
and Northern Emancipation Network on The Igbo Persistence for Recession among
others, stated categorically that, never again will they fold their hands and a
time has come to take their destiny into their hands.
Mallam Abdulazeez Suleiman, who read the statement on behalf
of others, at the popular Arewa House Kaduna, on Tuesday said, the region was
tired of the marriage hence the need for restructuring as been pronounced by
many notable Nigerian leaders like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and
Sen. Shehu Sani and others.
According to them, “The persistence for the actualisation of
Biafra by the unruly Igbo of South-Eastern Nigeria has lately assumed another
alarming twist which involved the forceful lockdown of activities and denial of
other people’s right to free movement in the South-East by the rebel Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) and its overt and covert sponsors.
“This latest action and similar confrontational conducts
which amount to a brutal encroachment on the rights of those termed as
non-indigenous people residing and doing lawful businesses in those areas
illegally demarcated and defined as Biafra by the Igbo, are downright
unacceptable and shall no longer be tolerated”.
They said they observed that, concerned by the persistent
Igbo threat to national integration, they had met with several others and
reviewed the current position of the North and jointly came up with the
declaration.
Other part of the statement read, “the Igbo people of the
South-East, without remorse for the carnage they wrought on the nation in the
1960s, are today boldly reliving those sinister intentions connoted by the
Biafran agitation that led to the very first bloody insurrection in Nigeria’s
history.
“Emboldened by the apparent indifference of the Nigerian
authorities, the Igbo secessionist tendency is widening in scope and action at
every stage, with adverse effects on the law-abiding people of other regions
residing in or passing through the East, while the Igbo leaders and elders by
their utterances and direct action or inaction appear to support and encourage
it.
“This is happening irrespective of the undisputable fact
that, Igbos have done and are doing more damage to our collective nationhood
than any other ethnic group; being responsible for the first violent
interference with democracy in Nigeria resulting in a prolonged
counter-productive chain of military dictatorship.
“It is on record that since the inception of the current
democratic dispensation, the Igbos have shown and maintained open contempt and
resentment for the collective decision expressed by majority of Nigerians at
various stages via generally acceptable democratic processes.
“While these provocative acts of aggression persist and grow
in dimension with each new move, leaders of the North whose people are at the
receiving end of the threats, appear helplessly unperturbed.
“Without pursuing a resolute action-plan, these northern
leaders have adopted and have been dragging its people into a pitifully
pacifist position in order to sustain an elusive national cohesion that has
long been ridiculed by the Igbos.
“From today, June 6, 2017, when this proclamation is signed,
the North, a critical player in the Nigerian project, hereby declares that it
will no longer be disposed to coexisting with the Igbos and shall take definite
steps to end the partnership by pulling out of the current federal arrangement.
“This conclusion is necessitated by the realization that it
since ceased to be comfortable or safe to continue sharing the same country
with the ungrateful, uncultured Igbos who have exhibited reckless disrespect for
the other federating units and stained the integrity of the entire nation with
their insatiable criminal obsessions.
“Rather than certain sections holding the whole country to
ransom at every stage, each should be allowed to go its own way as we categorically
proclaim today that the North is fed up with being the same country with this
pack of acrimonious Igbo partners.
“The North hereby openly calls on the authorities and other
national and international stakeholders to acknowledge this declaration by taking
steps to facilitate the final dissolution of this hopeless union that has never
been convenient to any of the parties.
“As a first step, since the Igbo have clearly abused the
unreciprocated hospitality that gave them unrestricted access to, and ownership
of landed properties all over the North, our first major move shall be to
reclaim, assume and assert sole ownership and control of these landed resources
currently owned, rented or in any way enjoyed by the ingrate Igbo in any part
of Northern Nigeria.
“Consequently, officials of the signatory groups to this
declaration, are already mandated to commence immediate inventory of all
properties, spaces or activity in the north currently occupied by the Igbos for
forfeiture at the expiration of the ultimatum contained in this declaration.
“With the effective date of this declaration, which is
today, Tuesday, June 06, 2017, all Igbos currently residing in any part of
Northern Nigeria are hereby served notice to relocate within three months and
all northerners residing in the East are advised likewise”.
To ensure enforcement of the directives, the groups mandated
all northern civil society and pressure groups to mobilize for sustained,
coordinated campaigns at their respective State Government Houses, State Houses
of Assembly, Local Government Council Secretariats and Traditional Palaces to
mount pressure for steps to be taken to ensure enforcement of the directives
contained thererein.
“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 Igbos.
“From that date, effective, peaceful and safe mop-up of all
the remnants of the stubborn Igbos that neglect to heed this quit notice shall
commence to finally eject them from every part of the North.
“And finally, all authorities, individuals or groups are
hereby advised against attempting to undermine this declaration by insisting on
this union with the Igbos who have thus far proved to be an unnecessary baggage
carried too far and for too long.
By Sola Ojo
