Youth Leaders Condemn Arewa, Militants’ Quit Notices

  •  Demand apology from northern youths

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

The Nigeria Ethnic Nationality Youth Leaders (NENYL) thursday condemned the quit notices issued by a coalition of Arewa youth groups against the Igbos living in the North and that of the Niger Delta militants against northerners living in the region.

The youth leaders also condemned attempts by some groups to balkanise Nigeria into several nations, insisting on the unity of the nation.

The youths who thrown their support for the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said they have decided to back the decision of the governors whom have said Nigeria must remain as one.

Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, the spokesman of NENYL, Imoh Okoko, said his group also demands an apology from the Arewa youths for utterances that threaten the unity of the nation.

He disclosed that his association would hold a peace summit in Abuja with all ethnic youth leaders including the militants.

Okoko said the Abuja peace summit meeting would determine their position in the call for the implementation of 2014 National Conference and on whether his group would join the call for the arrest of those behind the quit notice orders.

He said after the Abuja peace summit they are expecting the Acting Vice President to call for a meeting that would involve all the representatives of ethnic youth leaders including the Niger Delta militants
Okoko, who is also the President of Ibibio National Youth Forum, said NENYL is not in support of Biafra or any action that could bring disunity to the country.

He said: “We cannot fold our hands and watch some youths making comments that are threat to national security. We know that there are some ethnic crisis that led to one agitation or the other but our position is to play a role that can calm the tension.

“Nigerians have the right to live anywhere in this country that is why we are condemning the quit notice order. It is not in the interest of this country that we should be living in fear because we reside in another region. The federal government must act fact to solve the issue of Biafra. This people did not wake up one day to agitate, there must be something behind it.

“Our position on the call for the implementation of the 2014 National Conference is not clear now until after our meeting in Abuja. And we will not say we are in support of those calling for the arrest of those behind the quit notice order. Because the meeting will determine our position but we are in support of governors decision.”

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