Following
the three-months ultimatum given to Igbos residing in the North by a coalition
of Northern Youth groups, governors of the five south-east states yesterday had
a meeting in Ebonyi state where they urged the Igbos residing in the Northern
region not to panic and to remain where they are and go about their activities
without fear of being attacked.
Chairman of the forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, who spoke on behalf of the governors after the meeting, said the ultimatum was not only provocative but mischievous and inciting. He appealed to Northern leaders to speak wisdom to their youths so that this issue can be addressed properly. Umahi also denied claims that the governors had organized buses to move Igbos residing in the North back home.
“We must call on all serious minded patriots, particularly the religious
leadership in Northern Nigeria; the leadership of other socio-cultural groups
in Northern Nigeria; the Nigerian Governors Forum; and all the service branches
to rise up with voices of peace and wisdom to counteract the mischievousness
and exuberant excesses of the northern youth. The ugly lessons of history are
too grim to be stoked with carelessness. As leaders, we must exert the full
measure of our powers and influence to forestall a repletion. We call on all
Igbo sons and daughters resident in Northern Nigeria to go about their lawful
daily activities without fear of intimidation, hindrance or molestation. The
rumors being peddled on conventional and social media platforms that we, the
governors of the south east have met and agreed to mobilise vehicles and cash
for repatriation of Ndigbo resident in northern Nigeria must be disregarded, as
they are nothing but tissues of lies. No amount of provocation would lead us to
such precipitate an irresponsible action at this time. Those exploiting such
vacuous tittle-tattle as a basis for divisive rhetoric in public spaces are
simply playing juvenile politics and we urge them to cease and desist.”he said
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