By Baron Ike
Barely two days after they made a provocative statement asking Ndigbo resident in their midst to vacate within three months, advocates of the hate comment have recanted, suing for peace and withdrawing the threat to the Igbo living in the north.
Governor Nasir el-Rufai had ordered for their arrest following the comments that opened a flood gate of criticimsms from well meaning Nigerians, including of northern extraction.
The All Progressive Congress (APC) also bemoaned the ultimatum and called for caution.
While the youths called for the head of the Igbo in their midst, the middlebelt extended a hand of followship to Ndigbo, appealing to them to relocate to their place.
Governors of the South East were also prepared to evacuate their own as they made available vehicles and money for Ndigbo in the north ready to return to the east to settle.
A coalition of northern youth groups tagged, “The Kaduna Declaration”, gave all Igbo residing in any part of the north three months to relocate to their places of origin on Tuesday, June 6.
The group had also directed northerners residing in the east to relocate back to the north within three months .
Spokesman of the group, AbdulAziz Suleiman, while briefing newsmen in Kaduna had earlier said: “All northern civil society and pressure groups are by this declaration mandated to mobilize for sustained, coordinated campaigns at their respective State Government Houses, State Houses of Assembly, Local Government Council Secretariats and Traditional Palaces to mount pressure for steps to be taken to ensure enforcement of the directives contained herein.
“The North hereby openly calls on the authorities and other national and international stakeholders to acknowledge this declaration by taking steps to facilitate the final dissolution of this hopeless union that has never been convenient to any of the parties.
“From today, June 6, 2017, when this proclamation is signed, the north, a critical player in the Nigerian project, hereby declares that it will no longer be disposed to coexisting with the Igbos and shall take definite steps to end the partnership by pulling out of the current federal arrangement.”
But making a U-turn on Wednesday, June 7 Yerima Shettima, President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, and Isaac Balami, Arewa Consultative Forum Congress’ President, appealed to Nigerians not to panic.
In a video footage released online, Balami said the Northern groups had observed how the issue was “being discussed globally.”
He said the groups will create a platform to discuss the outrage and condemnation trailing the eviction threat.
Balami’s words: “This is not the time for us to discuss separation. We need to come together. Arewa is known for peace.
“It is obvious that the initial approach was not the best. We need to work together as a nation
“I want to tell Nigerians living at home and in the diaspora that there is hope. This nation is going nowhere.
“Shettima here wants to assure that everything that he has done was in good faith. This is one Nigeria and we are going nowhere.”