… Propose peace accord with IPOB
From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
AS criticisms continues to trail the call by some northern youths that Igbo should vacate the north within three months and the subsequent support by spokesman of Northern Elders Forum, Professor Ango Abdullahi, Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has called on the Federal Government to extend its arrest order to the professor.
The group, which addressed aworld press conference in Kaduna yesterday noted that, should there be any crisis as a result of uncivil declaration by some reckless youths who failed to weigh the implication of such sensitive matter and the economic and socio-political consequences, Ango Abdullahi and his family will fly out of the country and leave the innocent to pay with their blood.
President, NYCN Isah Abubakar said, the Kaduna Declaration’ was never in any way designed to represent the collective voice or decision of any legitimate coalition of youth groups from the region as the council remains the apex youth organization that has the right to announce any resolution of youths from the region.
The group, which plainly dissociated itself from the declaration said Nigeria remains one indivisible entity reiterating that, any Nigerian citizen, has the right to live and own property anywhere he or she chooses to reside without fear from other fellow citizens.
Isah, who expressed worry that when the country is working very hard to retrace its step to good governance, some were busy trying to frustrate that effort by well meaning Nigerians especially, President Mohammadu Buhari and his Vice Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
To Isah, “telling the Igbo in the Northern states to vacate on or before October 1, 2017 is nothing but display of mental derailment in the public space.
“It is important we once again re-inform the public that Northern Nigeria remains home for all.
“The council has equally resolved to invite its counterpart from the Igbo extraction to sign a new peace pact tagged “Peace Accord 2017” on 2nd September, 2017 in Abuja to further establish our purposeful readiness to continue the marriage of 1914 and partnership in the progressive development of our dear nation Nigeria”.
On Ango Abdullahi ,he said, “we have Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) which is the umbrella body of all northerners both the young and old. They are not very happy with the statement of Prof. Ango Abdullahi and from my perspective, Ango Abdullahi is an educationist, thoroughbred Professor. But from his statement, I began to gather facts that he is being affected by old age.
“You know when someone is growing old it is believed that, that person’s attitude will start looking like a very young person. And I believe that is what is happening to Prof Ango Abdullahi. It is not an exception of that very characteristic of an old man, because at his age we believe he witnessed the civil war, will still crave for another civil war.
“An elder statesman should be a person that will stand firmly against anything that will cause division in this very country. He should not speak to support an idea that will tear this country apart. We are very sure that Prof Ango Abdullahi will fly out of this country with his children if anything happens. And other prominent northerners will also fly out of this country whenever any dubious thing or any act of war happens in this very region.
“As such, I believe Ango Abdullahi’s statement should not be given any recognition, as it is one of the signs of old age. He should be included for arrest. If an old man doesn’t respect himself in what he’s supposed to do, he should be arrested and prosecuted. You can’t just be making statements anyhow, the way you like.