Arewa youths take sides with IPOB, insist on Biafra referendum

Like different groups, prominently from the southern regions of Nigeria, a coalition of northern youths is opposed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s position that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable.

President Buhari, who returned to the country on Saturday after spending 103 days in London for yet to be disclosed medical treatment, had in a nationwide broadcast on Monday insisted that Nigeria’s unity cannot be negotiated.

But the northern group, under the aegis of Arewa Youth Coalition, do not see reasons why any section of the country that would want to exit the union would not be allowed to do so.

They have therefore called on the Buhari-led Federal Government to conduct a referendum and allow those who do not want to be part of Nigeria to exit.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has over the last few months made similar calls in their agitations for an independent Biafra state from Nigeria.

Arising from a town hall meeting for the North East geopolitical zone in Gombe, the coalition’s national chairman, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, also demanded that referendum be conducted for the Biafra agitators.

He said, “The president just came back from his medical vocation. In normal circumstances, one should have expected him to take some time to have a clear review of situations in the country after spending 103 days abroad.

“His statement is a welcome development to some extent because there are issues; the unity of the country is being threatened. I think the focus of the president was basically on the threat to our national unity and those were the key issues he spoke about. In addition, that we would no longer tolerate anybody undermining the security of the country. Certainly, agreed, it should be that way as he felt. But I feel also that on the side of international law to which Nigeria is signatory, it is expected that government must create an exit door for those who feel they want to leave through a referendum and as stipulated in the 1999 constitution.

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“It would not augur well if we insist on living with people who do not want to be part of the country and they keep threatening the unity of the country. It may even appear to the international community like a mockery.

“If the government is up and doing, let us abide by the demands of the international law by creating an exit door for those agitating for self determination.

“Certainly, the IPOB cannot be said to be speaking for the South-East because they are less than ten per cent of the Igbo communities who are willing to remain in Nigeria.”

On the October 1 quit notice order to Igbo he said, “An individual cannot hold the country to ransom. We felt patriotic individuals from the South East should have lent their voices to safeguard the unity of the country by condemning the IPOB agitators. If, however, some individuals so much believe in their Biafra, let such people go to your Biafra. Don’t bring war to the North, to Nigeria.

“Our call is being misunderstood. We have been misquoted by mischief-makers who made it seem we are calling for violence. That is why we are not faceless and we respond to calls anywhere for dialogue with elder statesmen.”

 

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