October 1 Igbo quit notice stays, Arewa group insists

The coalition of Northern Group said in Abuja on Tuesday that
the October 1, 2017 ultimatum given to Igbo living in the North to
vacate the zone remained.

The coalition, which is made up of 16 different groups, spoke at
a meeting it held with a former Governor of Abia State, Chief Uzor
Kalu.

The leader of the coalition, Mr Shettima Yerima, restated the
group’s position during the meeting.

He said though the groups in the coalition had held meetings on
the ultimatum, they had yet to lift the quit notice.

Addressing a joint press conference with Kalu and some leaders
from the South-East, Yerima however, said the coalition was holding
consultations with stakeholders across the country with a view to
reviewing its position.

While acknowledging that they had been meetings to douse tension
in the country, he said, “I do not also remember specifically
saying we are going to finally withdraw the quit notice. No,
certainly not. We have not.

“But we said, within the week, we are going to make a
statement.”

He, nevertheless, assured Nigerians that there was no cause for
alarm as he expressed the coalition’s belief in a united
Nigeria.

The coalition’s chairman said he and his colleagues were
concerned about the unity of Nigeria and would not allow it to be
threatened.

He added, “It is only those who are blind that will say the
unity of this country is not being threatened. But you have
prominent Nigerians like him (Kalu) who have shown a lot of worries
over this situation.

“To us, we strongly believe that Nigeria is for us and Nigeria
belongs to everybody and we are all equal in this project.

“We will not in any way accept anybody who wants to undermine
the unity of this country. We want those who want to remain and who
believe in the unity of Nigeria to remain.

“But for those who don’t, they are free to go to their Biafra
and stay there. For us, we want Nigeria and will remain in
Nigeria.”

Yerima, who was flanked by members of his group, said, “We need
to do a lot of work, we are in consultations now. We are likely
going on consultations in northern region; we will discuss issues
before we finally review our position.

“But you can be rest assured that those who believe in Nigeria
should remain where they are and be assured of their safety. But to
those who don’t believe in Nigeria, we cannot guarantee their
safety.

“So, it’s better if you want to do your Biafra, you stay and do
your Biafra over there. But if you believe in Nigeria, we intend to
work side by side with you to build the nation of our dreams.”

Kalu called on southerners living in the north not to entertain
any fear.

He said he would soon meet with the leader of the Independent
Peoples of Biafra, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, and other Biafran agitators.

Kalu regretted that the agitation for the creation of Biafra had
affected the Gross Domestic Product of the South-East, saying
neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger had stopped
patronising the zone.

While noting that the diversity of Nigeria was its strength, the
former governor stressed that all parts of the country were equally
important as they contributed in the same way to its
well-being.

He advocated restructuring and called on the people in the north
not to see it as being against its interest.

Kalu said, “Restructuring does not mean breaking the country.
There are certain things we have outgrown. We need to address the
issue of how our economy should be run so that the masses, the poor
people will benefit from efforts of government.”

The coalition of Northern Group said in Abuja on Tuesday that
the October 1, 2017 ultimatum given to Igbo living in the North to
vacate the zone remained.

The coalition, which is made up of 16 different groups, spoke at
a meeting it held with a former Governor of Abia State, Chief Uzor
Kalu.

The leader of the coalition, Mr Shettima Yerima, restated the
group’s position during the meeting.

He said though the groups in the coalition had held meetings on
the ultimatum, they had yet to lift the quit notice.

Addressing a joint press conference with Kalu and some leaders
from the South-East, Yerima however, said the coalition was holding
consultations with stakeholders across the country with a view to
reviewing its position.

While acknowledging that they had been meetings to douse tension
in the country, he said, “I do not also remember specifically
saying we are going to finally withdraw the quit notice. No,
certainly not. We have not.

“But we said, within the week, we are going to make a
statement.”

He, nevertheless, assured Nigerians that there was no cause for
alarm as he expressed the coalition’s belief in a united
Nigeria.

The coalition’s chairman said he and his colleagues were
concerned about the unity of Nigeria and would not allow it to be
threatened.

He added, “It is only those who are blind that will say the
unity of this country is not being threatened. But you have
prominent Nigerians like him (Kalu) who have shown a lot of worries
over this situation.

“To us, we strongly believe that Nigeria is for us and Nigeria
belongs to everybody and we are all equal in this project.

“We will not in any way accept anybody who wants to undermine
the unity of this country. We want those who want to remain and who
believe in the unity of Nigeria to remain.

“But for those who don’t, they are free to go to their Biafra
and stay there. For us, we want Nigeria and will remain in
Nigeria.”

Yerima, who was flanked by members of his group, said, “We need
to do a lot of work, we are in consultations now. We are likely
going on consultations in northern region; we will discuss issues
before we finally review our position.

“But you can be rest assured that those who believe in Nigeria
should remain where they are and be assured of their safety. But to
those who don’t believe in Nigeria, we cannot guarantee their
safety.

“So, it’s better if you want to do your Biafra, you stay and do
your Biafra over there. But if you believe in Nigeria, we intend to
work side by side with you to build the nation of our dreams.”

Kalu called on southerners living in the north not to entertain
any fear.

He said he would soon meet with the leader of the Independent
Peoples of Biafra, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, and other Biafran agitators.

Kalu regretted that the agitation for the creation of Biafra had
affected the Gross Domestic Product of the South-East, saying
neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger had stopped
patronising the zone.

While noting that the diversity of Nigeria was its strength, the
former governor stressed that all parts of the country were equally
important as they contributed in the same way to its
well-being.

He advocated restructuring and called on the people in the north
not to see it as being against its interest.

Kalu said, “Restructuring does not mean breaking the country.
There are certain things we have outgrown. We need to address the
issue of how our economy should be run so that the masses, the poor
people will benefit from efforts of government.”