According to a Vanguard report, the Arewa
Youths Coalition has said it would withdraw
the quit order it gave to Ndigbo to vacate all
northern states before October 1st.
The northern group’s spokesperson,
Abdulaziz Suleiman, said they would
withdraw the statement this week.
The group waved the olive branch to
Ndigbo after it had a meeting with the
Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima in
Abuja on Sunday.
Governor shettima who confirmed the
development however warned that the
Arewa Youths group should not be
criminalized as such would be counter-
productive.
Moreover, according to Suleiman, “What we
can say is that there has been a major
development. Now the chairman of the
Governors’ Forum has taken the initiative
and invited us to start negotiations. This is
the first time we are meeting publicly with
any leader and we believe that it is a major
step forward in our ongoing consultations.
“We hold the governor in high esteem and
we have the unity of the country at heart”.
“You see, I wonder why you talk about quit
notice. We only issued a Kaduna declaration,
quit notice is just a part of it. Let us do the
recounting of the successes of our
declarations first. We are sill going on with
our consultations”.
Confirming Arewa Youths’ decision to
withdraw the order, Governor Shettima said,
“We met with the leadership of the coalition
of Northern Groups in my capacity as the
chairman of the Northern Governors Froum.
“We had very fruitful discussion with them
and they have shown a lot of courtesy and
respect for the establishment. This is the
first time that they are sitting down with the
leadership of the forum.
“They were having interactions with His
Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto. I started
conversations with them right from Kaduna
yesterday and we continued the discussion
today and by the grace of God, it is going to
yield fruits.
“We are trying to have understanding of the
challenges confronting us as a people and
solutions to those challenges. I have to
commend them for honouring our invitation
because a political problem needs a political
solution”.
Shettima cautioned against criminalising the
group, adding that harassing and
intimidating them would not bring solution
to the nation’s challenges.
“They have agreed to revisit their decision
and we will follow it up to its logical
conclusion and I believe that in the next
couple of days, we are going to get the
good news from them.
“I don’t want to preempt them by saying
that this is what will happen or not. But
definitely, they have shown responsibility
and commitment to the national cause and
they have wider plans to promote the cause
of national unity and cohesion.
“It was a very open, free and frank
discussion, we heard their reservations and
I gave them my reasons and believe me, by
the time they hold their meeting this week, I
think Nigerians will heave a sigh of relief.
“I wish to call on the leadership of our
brethren in the South Eastern part of the
country to equally pick the gauntlet, because
it takes two to tango, to take the gauntlet
and rein in the excesses of Nnamdi Kanu
and his group”.
