There are strong indications that the coalition of northern
youths will soon start lobbying members of the National Assembly to
include referendum in the ongoing constitution amendments.
The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum’s President, Yerima
Shettima, who gave this indication in an interview with PUNCH Not
TheNigerialawyer, said the coalition would not use force to effect
the quit notice it gave to the Igbo.
But he expressed confidence that the referendum would not favour
the Indigenous People of Biafra’s leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, and
other secessionists, saying the people of the zone would reject
secession.
The group had a few months ago told the Igbo living in the North
to leave the region on or before October 1. It hinged its ultimatum
on the secessionist agitation of IPOB.
Following a lot of public outcry and condemnation from eminent
Nigerians and organisations, there were reports that the forum
would withdraw the quit notice.
But at a press conference in Kano on Thursday, the forum said
there was no going back on the quit notice.
Shettima, at the event, had said, “We have not renounced our
earlier position on the quit notice to the Igbo.”
He had said that the Northern youths would not use force, but
constitutional means to achieve their goal.
He said the forum had written the United Nations to prevail on
the Federal Government to opt for referendum.
The referendum, he explained, would enable those who were
desirous of leaving the federation to do so without force.
Shettima stated, “We are looking at having a referendum. It is
part of our prayers to the United Nations. Our second prayer is for
the UN and the international community to prevail on the Nigerian
government through the National Assembly to create an exit for
those who want to leave.
“We are also planning to lobby members of the National Assembly
to formally agree to a referendum on Biafra. We want the Igbo to
have the opportunity of voting on this issue.
“We are saying Nigeria cannot sign international treaties and
not implement them. We want a constitutional amendment for
referendum because it is not currently part of our
constitution.”
The youth leader said he was expecting a response to the group’s
letter to the United Nations.
According to him, the group will hold consultations across the
North on the need for a referendum.
He said, “We are expecting the UN to respond and we would also
talk to our lawmakers, but we are in consultation. Nigerians should
not panic; we are not a violent organisation.”
He further stated that his group had been holding meetings with
stakeholders in the North, adding that the youth coalition had just
concluded a parley in Kano after which it would also meet with
people in the North-Central and North-East.
He said, “We have made it abundantly clear that we would not
enforce anything. We are not the government and we do not
have the power to enforce anything, but we are using legal means
because the issue is about Nnamdi Kanu who is heaping abuses on our
people and undermining the government.
“We are saying the government must rise to the occasion and
checkmate the guy. We may review our position after our
consultations, but we mean no harm, we won’t harass innocent
Nigerians, no. It is not in our power to do so.”
Referendum will not favour Biafra Republic,
Kanu
The Arewa youth leader also expressed confidence that a
referendum would not favour the Biafra Republic or its promoter,
Kanu.
Shettima said Kanu could not speak for Igbo leaders such as
Chief Emeka Anyaoku and other intellectuals, noting that the IPOB
leader was merely engaging in survival antics.
He said, “The truth is that Biafra cannot succeed even through a
referendum. The truth of the matter is that an average Igbo man
does not believe in Biafra but rather some few individuals are
clamouring for it just to survive.
“When the referendum holds, it would not favour Biafra. It will
not favour Kanu. He cannot speak for strong intellectuals like
Chief Emeka Anyaoku and other Igbo intellectuals.”
He alleged that Kanu was being sponsored by disgruntled
Nigerians in foreign countries seeking political relevance, adding
that such people were being deceived by Kanu.
The Arewa youth leader explained that the steps so far taken by
his coalition were done to expose the agitation for Biafra as a
scam that should not be taken seriously by the international
community.
He said, “Most of those funding the Biafra agitations are
Nigerians in foreign lands who have lost relevance. They want to
come back home. They want to be more relevant because they are not
relevant at all.
“Kanu is using their psyche assuring them that there would be a
new Republic of Biafra. We are doing what we are doing to expose
them to the international community that these guys are just jokers
and that they are not speaking for the Igbo.
“The real Igbo who want to stay in Nigeria are more than 80 per
cent and he cannot in any way speak for them. Through a referendum,
you would get to know that truly, more Igbo believe in
Nigeria.”
We are certain of
victory –IPOB
Reacting to the development, IPOB said it was certain of victory
if there was any referendum on Biafra.
IPOB spokesperson, Mr. Emma Powerful, told one of our
correspondents, “My leadership told me not to respond to any
statement credited to the Arewa youths but their fathers, that is,
the Arewa Elders Forum.
“But you know very well that if they call for a referendum
today, we will win.
“We are praying, let them venture to call for a referendum in
Biafraland, then you will know that God Almighty has done it for
us.
“They don’t know what we are doing and what we are planning to
do.”
Ango Abdullahi, Junaid urge FG to invite
parties
Speaking on the quit notice, a Northern elder statesman, Prof.
Ango Abdullahi, said if the Federal Government invited both
Northern and Southern agitating youths and elders to a roundtable,
some common grounds in the interest of the country could be
gained.
Abdullahi, who is the spokesperson for the Northern Elders
Forum, said, “When you want the latest on the quit notice, go to
the youth. I am not a youth. My understanding is that I
participated in one of the elders’ consultations with the acting
president (Prof. Yemi Osinbajo). We were the first group to meet
him and he listened to our views. I learnt he met with the other
group too.
“The initial idea was that all the groups would be put together
for a joint discussion; I think this is what perhaps has not taken
place. Perhaps, at that time, when the groups meet, we might be
able to extract some common positions which will be communicated to
the general public.”
Also, a Second Republic lawmaker and a Northern elder statesman,
Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said, “I cannot speak for the youth. But the
issue about the Northern and Southern agitators which has refused
to go away is an indication that we as Nigerians are not sincere
democrats. You cannot build a democracy without having a sincere
mind of a democrat. This mind is neither in the North nor in the
South.
“We have to be sincere with ourselves and see whether the
Nigerian project is an implementable project. We have to see
whether we have been fair to our existence as a country and whether
any country can survive with this level of continuous
agitations.”
There are strong indications that the coalition of northern
youths will soon start lobbying members of the National Assembly to
include referendum in the ongoing constitution amendments.
The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum’s President, Yerima
Shettima, who gave this indication in an interview with PUNCH Not
TheNigerialawyer, said the coalition would not use force to effect
the quit notice it gave to the Igbo.
But he expressed confidence that the referendum would not favour
the Indigenous People of Biafra’s leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, and
other secessionists, saying the people of the zone would reject
secession.
The group had a few months ago told the Igbo living in the North
to leave the region on or before October 1. It hinged its ultimatum
on the secessionist agitation of IPOB.
Following a lot of public outcry and condemnation from eminent
Nigerians and organisations, there were reports that the forum
would withdraw the quit notice.
But at a press conference in Kano on Thursday, the forum said
there was no going back on the quit notice.
Shettima, at the event, had said, “We have not renounced our
earlier position on the quit notice to the Igbo.”
He had said that the Northern youths would not use force, but
constitutional means to achieve their goal.
He said the forum had written the United Nations to prevail on
the Federal Government to opt for referendum.
The referendum, he explained, would enable those who were
desirous of leaving the federation to do so without force.
Shettima stated, “We are looking at having a referendum. It is
part of our prayers to the United Nations. Our second prayer is for
the UN and the international community to prevail on the Nigerian
government through the National Assembly to create an exit for
those who want to leave.
“We are also planning to lobby members of the National Assembly
to formally agree to a referendum on Biafra. We want the Igbo to
have the opportunity of voting on this issue.
“We are saying Nigeria cannot sign international treaties and
not implement them. We want a constitutional amendment for
referendum because it is not currently part of our
constitution.”
The youth leader said he was expecting a response to the group’s
letter to the United Nations.
According to him, the group will hold consultations across the
North on the need for a referendum.
He said, “We are expecting the UN to respond and we would also
talk to our lawmakers, but we are in consultation. Nigerians should
not panic; we are not a violent organisation.”
He further stated that his group had been holding meetings with
stakeholders in the North, adding that the youth coalition had just
concluded a parley in Kano after which it would also meet with
people in the North-Central and North-East.
He said, “We have made it abundantly clear that we would not
enforce anything. We are not the government and we do not
have the power to enforce anything, but we are using legal means
because the issue is about Nnamdi Kanu who is heaping abuses on our
people and undermining the government.
“We are saying the government must rise to the occasion and
checkmate the guy. We may review our position after our
consultations, but we mean no harm, we won’t harass innocent
Nigerians, no. It is not in our power to do so.”
Referendum will not favour Biafra Republic,
Kanu
The Arewa youth leader also expressed confidence that a
referendum would not favour the Biafra Republic or its promoter,
Kanu.
Shettima said Kanu could not speak for Igbo leaders such as
Chief Emeka Anyaoku and other intellectuals, noting that the IPOB
leader was merely engaging in survival antics.
He said, “The truth is that Biafra cannot succeed even through a
referendum. The truth of the matter is that an average Igbo man
does not believe in Biafra but rather some few individuals are
clamouring for it just to survive.
“When the referendum holds, it would not favour Biafra. It will
not favour Kanu. He cannot speak for strong intellectuals like
Chief Emeka Anyaoku and other Igbo intellectuals.”
He alleged that Kanu was being sponsored by disgruntled
Nigerians in foreign countries seeking political relevance, adding
that such people were being deceived by Kanu.
The Arewa youth leader explained that the steps so far taken by
his coalition were done to expose the agitation for Biafra as a
scam that should not be taken seriously by the international
community.
He said, “Most of those funding the Biafra agitations are
Nigerians in foreign lands who have lost relevance. They want to
come back home. They want to be more relevant because they are not
relevant at all.
“Kanu is using their psyche assuring them that there would be a
new Republic of Biafra. We are doing what we are doing to expose
them to the international community that these guys are just jokers
and that they are not speaking for the Igbo.
“The real Igbo who want to stay in Nigeria are more than 80 per
cent and he cannot in any way speak for them. Through a referendum,
you would get to know that truly, more Igbo believe in
Nigeria.”
We are certain of
victory –IPOB
Reacting to the development, IPOB said it was certain of victory
if there was any referendum on Biafra.
IPOB spokesperson, Mr. Emma Powerful, told one of our
correspondents, “My leadership told me not to respond to any
statement credited to the Arewa youths but their fathers, that is,
the Arewa Elders Forum.
“But you know very well that if they call for a referendum
today, we will win.
“We are praying, let them venture to call for a referendum in
Biafraland, then you will know that God Almighty has done it for
us.
“They don’t know what we are doing and what we are planning to
do.”
Ango Abdullahi, Junaid urge FG to invite
parties
Speaking on the quit notice, a Northern elder statesman, Prof.
Ango Abdullahi, said if the Federal Government invited both
Northern and Southern agitating youths and elders to a roundtable,
some common grounds in the interest of the country could be
gained.
Abdullahi, who is the spokesperson for the Northern Elders
Forum, said, “When you want the latest on the quit notice, go to
the youth. I am not a youth. My understanding is that I
participated in one of the elders’ consultations with the acting
president (Prof. Yemi Osinbajo). We were the first group to meet
him and he listened to our views. I learnt he met with the other
group too.
“The initial idea was that all the groups would be put together
for a joint discussion; I think this is what perhaps has not taken
place. Perhaps, at that time, when the groups meet, we might be
able to extract some common positions which will be communicated to
the general public.”
Also, a Second Republic lawmaker and a Northern elder statesman,
Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said, “I cannot speak for the youth. But the
issue about the Northern and Southern agitators which has refused
to go away is an indication that we as Nigerians are not sincere
democrats. You cannot build a democracy without having a sincere
mind of a democrat. This mind is neither in the North nor in the
South.
“We have to be sincere with ourselves and see whether the
Nigerian project is an implementable project. We have to see
whether we have been fair to our existence as a country and whether
any country can survive with this level of continuous
agitations.”
Read more https://www.nairalaw.com/biafra-arewa-youths-to-lobby-nassembly-on-referendum/