By Akinwale Kasali
The Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, the umbrella body of Northern Youths has a wish for the South-east.
It is that the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, continues the sit-at-home order it has weekly imposed on the Zone for the next 10 years.
But it has a warning for IPOB. It is for the group to keep destroying its Zone by its sit-at-home order and not try to export it to the North.
IPOB had a couple of days ago urged the Igbo in the North and other parts of the country to observe the mandatory order it imposed by shutting down their businesses anyday such orders are given.
It, particularly, asked them to support its proposed one month sit-at-home order if Kanu is not in Court on October 21, the next adjourned day.
But the plan has hit a Brickhill. The AYCF has taken an exception to it.
Lashing out at the promoters of IPOB and such proposal, it warned that it shouldn’t export its absurd sit-at-home order to Northern Nigeria.
The AYCF in a statement signed by its National President, Yerima Shettima, urged the 19 Northern State Governors to seal any business premises in the region that complies with the sit-at-home directive by the Igbo separatist group, stressing that the North will not be party to what it called ‘’a deliberate, politically-motivated plan to undermine or worsen the Nation’s current security challenges.’’
The AYCF said it is unimaginable that a separatist group will just wake up one day and come up with orders that will disrupt the peace, unity and tranquility of Nigerians in achieving their own selfish and baseless interest.
Shettima in the statement said, “We call on Northern Governors to step up action in order to ensure that IPOB does not infiltrate the region. We also expect the governors to ensure that any Northerner who shuts down his shop in solidarity with IPOB, that shop should be sealed forever. We will not fold our arms and watch the North get further destabilised by a violent strategy, whether in Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Niger or any State in Northern Nigeria because our hands are already full with challenges of insecurity and we are praying fervently day and night to find lasting peace.”
Shettima added that IPOB is free to continue with their sit-at-home across the South East and cripple the economy of the region if the Governors of the States allow them, but that such should be restricted to the South East and not taken to the Northern part of the country as the Group wouldn’t be a party to it.
“It seems governors of the South East are satisfied with the activities of IPOB, we hope they will continue with the sit-at-home for another 10 years and we wish them the very best of luck. We know the South East is IPOB’s home but exporting their activities to the North will be faced with massive resistance from all lovers of peace in the North,” he added.
He said the Group is set to support the North on its democratic means of effecting change and called on the North to shun violence.
‘‘The North has come a long way in understanding the use of constitutional and democratic means of channelling legitimate grievances, and cannot therefore be party to any undemocratic move. We call on Northerners of good conscience to avoid any undemocratic means, including burning of government-owned structures, where fellow Nigerians legitimately work to feed their families,’’ he said.
