11th June, 2017
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
More groups have joined their voices to condemn the hate speech by some youth groups in Northern Nigeria which gave a deadline for Igbos in the north to relocate from the area on or before October 1.
Among the groups that lend their voices to condemn the hate speech on Sunday in Benin, Edo State, were the Niger Delta Equity Forum (NDEF) and the National Youth Council of Nigeria.
The Coordinator of the NDEF, Ejoor Mukoro, in a statement he made available to journalists, also tasked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to be mindful the kind of characters it uses in its anti-corruption activities.
“The Niger Delta Equity Forum condemns in strong terms, the ultimatum given by some faceless Northern group, that the people of south eastern extraction should leave the Northern part of Nigeria. Niger Delta believes that this is unnecessary, uncalled for, divisive and a veritable fertile ground for the dismemberment of the Country, with associated death of some of the best of us.
“The Forum believes the problem of Nigeria is not Biafra, and it is not the Nigeria entity, the North, South, East or West. Our problem is the inequitable distribution of wealth and resources. Our national problem is a high corruption index which is evidently manifested in a highly profligate National Assembly, who will hang on to office and share our collective patrimony, even with corruption charges hanging on their neck.
“The Forum commends the effort of El Rufai, the governor of Kaduna who has asked that the perpetrators, should be arrested. The Forum also commend the Northern Governors Forum and other highly placed well meaning Nigerians, who have condemned this hate and divisive speech.
“We implore the police and other law enforcement agencies not to relent in their duty of quenching all such inciting statements. The police should not wait for a state governor to mandate them before carrying out their duty. Corruption should be fought on all fronts.
“The EFCC should be above board and come to equity with clean hands. They should discontinue the use of people with corrupt charges on their neck, as facilitators or key note speakers in their various anti-corruption campaign seminar,” Mukoro said.
On his part, the Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter and Vice President, South-South Zone, Mr. Innocent Ajayi, called on Nigerian youths to embrace peace and avoid making statements that could heat up the polity.
He made the appeal in Benin City when reacting to the recent ultimatum issued out to citizens of Igbo origin to vacate the northern part of the country on or before October 1, by youth groups in the area.
Ajayi said the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians in all parts of the states is not negotiable adding that the constitution has already made provision for that.
“Let me first of all say it clear that the constitution allows its citizens to live in any part of this country and to be law abiding to the law that makes to us be Nigerians. Those giving a quitting order must understand that we are all one Nigeria and that no matter their grievance and what pushed them to where we are today, the best way is for us to dialogue. And I believed that through dialogue, the solution to any problems will come out,” he said.
He said the present administration should revisit the resolutions reached at the confab and implement them to resolve some of the causes of this call for secession.
“No matter how some people looked at the confab. Some said it was political and I said no. Every group was fully represented. My advise is, the president and our national assembly should go back to those documents, look at it properly and I think with the confab, the solution of this country is already on our table. All what we need, is implementation.
“I know at the confab, the issue of restructuring Nigeria was really deliberated on. Let us fall back to true federalism and with it, Nigeria will move to a greater height,” he said.
He applauded the notable northern leaders who have come out openly to criticize the quitting order while suing for adequate protection of the lives and property of the non indigenes living in their states.
He called on the youths to avoid inciting statements that could further plunge the country into more crises.
“To the youth, we are 69.9 percent. If anything gets to happen, we are the persons who are going to pass through the pains.
“I appeal to us to understand that we must protect Nigeria. We must understand that we are one Nigeria and what has made us Nigerians as an entity, we must do our best to preserve it,” he said.