The Coalition of Northern Groups has withdrawn the quit notice given to Igbos living in northern part of the country to leave before October 1. The wi
The Coalition of Northern Groups has withdrawn the quit notice given to Igbos living in northern part of the country to leave before October 1. The withdrawal of the quit notice to Igbos was announced in Abuja on Thursday evening by the leaders of the group at a press conference.
Before the announcement was made, the group members had met with the Governor of Borno State, who is also the Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum, Mallam Ibrahim Shetima and a former Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Kabiru Gaya. Also in attendance at the meeting were ex-minister Sani Daura, a Leader of Arewa Youths Council, Alhaji Shettima Yerima and a Nollywood Actor, Kenneth Okonkwo.
Confirming the 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”
