Igbo Residents Disown Kanu And Broker For Peace With Arewa Youth

The tensed atmosphere created by the quit notice handed to Igbos living in the North may soon be doused following the outcome of the Friday meeting between Arewa youths and Igbo leaders in the North.

The Arewa youths in their meeting held in Kano with Igbo leaders of thought from the 19 northern states, resolved and raised a 10 man-Reconciliation Committee saddled with the mandate to finding a lasting solution to the issues surrounding the October 1 ultimatum.

Sequel to the renewed call for Igbos to leave the North by October 1, by the northern youths, the former vice president, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Isah Tijjani, had convened the meeting.

Tijjani handed down 72 hours to the 10-man reconciliation committee to submit their report on the issues.
Members of the Committee were drawn equally from the both groups.

The five of them representating the Arewa Youths Coalition are, Barrister Abdullahi Toro, Dr Abba Bukar Kagu, Dr Yima Sen, Dauda S. Shamakeri and Alhaji Ado Mohammed.

Those from Igbo leaders are, Chief Chi Nwogu, Eze Ngozi Nwaine Oso, Chief Chris Nnoli, Igwe Ibekwe and Magnus Ihejirika.

While Shettima Yarima led the northern youths to the conference, Igwe Boniface Igbekwe, Eze Ndigbo Kano, led Igbo leaders.

Tijjani asked the Committee to try and reach a position of agreement for the peaceful coexistence and development of the country at large.

Yerima had in his speech earlier, blamed the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu’s agitation for Biafra as the reason for the quit notice order to Ndigbo.

He said, “Though we had a meeting with the Ohaneze Youth Council in Kaduna, who dissociated themselves from Nnamdi Kanu, and we got all sorts of condemnation from the South East. So we couldn’t understand what was really happening.”

In his own speech, Chief Ibekwe said, “When you issued a quit notice, where do you want us to go? For your information none of us is a member of IPOB. Since the issuance of quit notice, you will notice that many things go differently. If you are a businessman you will understand what I am saying more clearly.”

He then assured that Igbos in the North believe in peace and peaceful coexistence of the country.

Observers will be keen to see where this latest effort leads, in this quit notice saga that has so far resisted different efforts at resolution.

Source: -  Chidi Chinedu | Ripples | August 05, 2017.