Ask them to withdraw quit notice immediately; condemn herdsmen activities

LAGOS— Prominent leaders from the Southern part of the country, including retired generals, civil servants and activists from the South’s three geopolitical zones rallied yesterday, warning that the quit notice by Northern youths to the Igbo in Northern Nigeria would be taken as a declaration against all Southerners. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo (4TH R) Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Eberechi Dick (4TH L) Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (3RD R) with other Traditional Rulers from South East during a Consultative meeting aimed at promoting peace, as well as protecting lives and properties of all Nigerians at the Presidential Villa Abuja on Sunday The Southern leaders in a stern declaration called on the Northern youths to withdraw the ultimatum handed down to Igbo, warning that failure to do so, will be taken as an ultimatum to all people from Southern Nigeria to quit the North.

The leaders also handed down an ultimatum to the Federal Government to implement the report of the 2014 National Conference by October 1, 2017, noting that it will see to the complete transformation and restructuring of the country. The stern declarations by the Southern leaders came as Acting President Yemi Osinbajo in continuation of his troubleshooting missions averred before South-East Traditional Rulers that agitations for secession by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the ultimatum issued to Ndigbo by a group of Northern youth groups broke the laws of the country. Also yesterday, top presidential aide, Senator Femi Ojudu revealed that the Presidency opted not to invite IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to the troubleshooting sessions because the government did not consider him an Igbo leader. Among the Southern leaders present at yesterday’s meeting were Chief Ayo Adebanjo, former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade (retd); former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (retd); President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo; his predecessor, Prof. Joe Irukwu, former director-general of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA, Chief Albert Horsfall, Senator Femi Okurounmu; Bassey Ewa-Henshaw and Koforowola Bucknor-Akerele. Also present were Dr. Okey Anueyiaya, Chief Sydney Dike, Chief Eric Ebeh, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, Ogita Iyalla-Finnih, Dr. Kunle Olajide, Chief Mike Uwaka, Ahaji Abdulaziz Ude, Chief Goddy Uwazurike, Prof George Obiozor, Charles Odunukwe, Iyaze Ebigwe, Col. Tony Nyiam, Dr. Amos Akingba, Mr. Supo Shonibare, Chief Tokunbo Ajasin, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd), and Chief Guy Ikokwu. In a communiqué read by Mr Yinka Odumakin, the Southern Leaders said the meeting became imperative, following the ultimatum given by the Northern youths to the people of the South East to vacate the north by October 1, 2017. The eminent leaders said they decided to forge a united front to avert the danger arising from the ultimatum. The communiqué, which was endorsed by Chief Adebanjo (South West), Ebitu Ukiwe (South East) and Albert Horsfall (South-South) warned that any attack against anybody from the South will be considered an attack against Southern Nigeria. The communiqué read:

“We the people of Southern Nigeria comprising South East, South West and South-South of Nigeria decided to come together to forge a common and formidable front and sustenance of sound principles of national development, equity, fairness, social justice and political emancipation. The meeting held against the backdrop of the ultimatum given by the Arewa youths to the people of South-East and by extension to all Southerners to vacate the north by October 1, 2017 and the refusal of the Nigerian state to activate the law against any of them, giving us the impression that these youths are not acting on their own but by the back of their establishment. “We consider the need to avert the impending danger arising from the ultimatum given by the Arewa youths. “We agreed that there is a growing demand by our people and other Nigerians to form a stronger federation in which principles and practice of true federalism are upheld. “We observe that the cry for self-determination will continue unabated and become much more stringent unless the Federal Government sincerely addresses the issues of restructuring of Nigeria. “We, therefore, resolve that we reject the attempt to reduce the current crisis in Nigeria, flowing from the unresolved nationality question to an Igbo and North affair. “The meeting, therefore, insists that any further discussion on this crisis should be between the entire South and the North of Nigeria.

The South-East is advised to consider any further meeting where the South-West and South-South are not involved as Southern Nigeria because the issues involved affect all of us. “We also demand that Arewa youths and their sponsors must withdraw the quit notice given to the people of the South-East as failure to do so, will be taken as an ultimatum given to the entire Southern Nigeria to quit their region and any attack against anybody from the South, will be considered an attack against Southern Nigeria. “We, therefore, advise the Federal Government to take seriously and live up to the primary responsibility of any government which is to protect the lives and property of every citizen of Nigeria wherever they may reside. “The meeting also condemned in strongest terms the activities of Fulani herdsmen, who have taken over the entire Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt of Nigeria, including invading state Houses of Assembly, preventing them from making laws, cows going to classrooms and chasing our children out of schools, killing our farmers on their farms and raping their wives.” On the need for restructuring, the leaders said “we also resolved on the need for the restructuring of Nigeria and to uphold the principles of true federalism as agreed by the founding fathers of Nigeria and practiced effectively in the years before the first military coup in Nigeria. “We reaffirm our stand on true federalism is the system of government founded on the democratic principles and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between the national and the federating units.

Such units had control over their own affairs and bequeathed equal status with their constitution which is consistent with the federal constitution. “We affirm and resolve in the implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference aimed at complete transformation and restructuring of our country and to build and Confederate Nigeria unity through peaceful and harmonious unity, progress and genuine development. “We want concrete steps taken on the implementation of 2014 National Conference Report before 1st October 2017. “We resolve to reawaken once more the spirit of friendship and mutual respect among our peoples and extol our common determination to pursue peace, progress and enhance the continued existence of Nigeria just as we commend the convener of this dialogue in bringing us together. We appeal to them to continue to do so in future.”


Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/ukiwe-horsfall-akinrinade-others-take-arewa-youths/

following

Arewa youths will shed blood by the time we are through with them.... Their greatest fear is a united south... Which has become a reality
This is a fact

Reunion.

The actual giant (of Africa) is waking up! God Bless the Southern Kingdom!

South West will not fight side by side with developers , rather we will flit them out like the roaches they are

These iddioots are dragging yorubas into another man's fight. I dont support southern unity, unless if that is the only way to split the country. But yet we will form oodua republic after the country splits. If these old foools have nothing to say, they should keep shut. The northerners and igbos fight is not our business. These fooools are not our leaders.

Useless arrangement

Afonjas looking to side the the SE now the romance with the north has gone sour.

During election they called us "politically irrelevant"...now they want to side.

Typical afonjas...can never fight alone

deedeedee1:
These iddioots are dragging yorubas into another man's fight. I dont support southern unity, unless if that is the only way to split the country. But yet we will form oodua republic after the country splits. If these old foools have nothing to say, they should keep shut. The northerners and igbos fight is not our business. These fooools are not our leaders.

Iam disappointed in this UR comment, I have been reading UR comments and saw u as a wise man. But on this u are very wrong. Its either Nigeria is one or its divided , either way the South need to work together to get what they deserve. Oodua or Biafra doesn't matter right now

raker300:
Afonjas looking to side the the SE now the romance with the north has gone sour.

During election they called us "politically irrelevant"...now they want to side.

Typical afonjas...can never fight alone

The enemy of my enemy is my friend

amyzon:




Iam disappointed in this UR comment, I have been reading UR comments and saw u as a wise man. But on this u are very wrong. Its either Nigeria is one or its divided , either way the South need to work together to get what they deserve. Oodua or Biafra doesn't matter right now

Let nigeria separate one way or the other, but the south-south, south-east, and south-west should not share same country. If it happens, it will be worst than nigeria.
A country with 3 majority is better than 2.

...A welcome development. Hitherto, I have condemned the ongoing meeting between the igbos and their nothern counterparts by the FG, reason been that it looks like 'setting one tribe against the other 'since the meeting supposed to encompassed all the northern and southern stakeholders. Thank you once again by this enlarged southern communique for re-enforcing my earlier stand.

deedeedee1:

Let nigeria separate one way or the other, but the south-south, south-east, and south-west should not share same country. If it happens, it will be worst than nigeria.
A country with 3 majority is better than 2.

So up to now u have not realize that we are all slave to the north, and its only southern unity can end the slavery

deedeedee1:

Let nigeria separate one way or the other, but the south-south, south-east, and south-west should not share same country. If it happens, it will be worst than nigeria.
A country with 3 majority is better than 2.

Let's fight for our freedom first . after that we then get to the drawing board and split fairly like brothers that we are

Nawaoo hatred everywhere

End of divide and rule.
The end of rule of orthman Danfodio.
The end of fulani dominance.

Thanks to Nnamdi Kanu for making this possible.
We want one united south

amyzon:



Let's fight for our freedom first . after that we then get to the drawing board and split fairly like brothers that we are

I support anything that will split this country.
Wholeheartedly!!!

The Ibos are now inviting the so called cowards to help them. okay, o we are ready

This is a welcome development

raker300:
Afonjas looking to side the the SE now the romance with the north has gone sour.

During election they called us "politically irrelevant"...now they want to side.

Typical afonjas...can never fight alone

The head on which they break the coconut never eats from such coconut. Your heads are those which must be broken by the proverbial coconut.

In simple English, you and you people are baits.