Northern elders, youths meet, fail to reach decision on quit notice to Ndigbo

For the third time on Wednesday, chairman of Northern Governors Forum and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, met with some northern elders and leaders of the Arewa youths over the October 1 quit notice issued to Ndigbo residing in northern Nigeria.

Although the meeting was said to have ended on a positive note, there was, however, no signal on when the northern youths were going to withdraw the quit notice that has continued to generate tension in the country.

Also at the meeting on Wednesday were some elders of the region. The meeting which held behind closed doors at Borno Governor’s lodge in Asokoro, Abuja started around 2:25pm and did not end till about 6:30‎pm.

A statement by Governor Shettima’s spokesman, Isa Gusau, said that in attendance at the meeting were “members of the Northern elders forum: Professor Ango Abdullahi, Alhaji Sani Zango Daura, Air Marshall Al-Amin Daggash, AVM Mukhtar Mohammed, Professor Yima Sen and Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed who represented the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.

“Key leaders of the coalition of Arewa groups, Yerima Shettima, Ashir Sherrif, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, Aminu Adam, Balarabe Rufai and leaders of other groups in the coalition all attended.”

The statement further disclosed that the meeting was convened to further ensure withdrawal of the October 1 quit notice.
Gusau said, “The meeting, which is the third since July was at the instance of some northern governors who mandated Shettima to engage the coalition with a view to preventing possible outbreak of violence in the event hoodlums take advantage of quit notice to perpetuate violence by the time the ultimatum expires on October 1.

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“The meeting ended on positive note while the Arewa coalition is expected to meet members of the AbdulSalami Abubakar led National Peace Committee who invited them for a meeting.”

A coalition of northern youths had last June asked all Igbos living in the 19 northern states to vacate the region on or before October 1 with many Nigerians condemning the act and tagging a hate speech.

The Federal Government appeared to have developed clay feet against its earlier plan to arrest the promoters of the quit notice, choosing instead to mobilize concerned elders across the country to beg the Arewa youths to withdraw the quit notice.
Ebere Ndukwu …

 

 

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