Twelve days to the start of the general
elections, indications are that non-
indigenes in northern states are relocating
en masse to their respective home states
for fear of being caught unawares in the
event of a post-election violence.
Many of such travelers who spoke to our
correspondents across the 19 northern
states say they prefer return to their roots
to await the outcome of the Presidential
election which they fear may lead to huge
loss of lives and property, going by the
unfriendly banters by the protégés of the
major players.
As a result of the palpable fears, our
correspondents learnt that many families
who traveled for the Christmas and New
Year holidays were yet to returen.
Most schools were said to have resumed
with few students returning as most had
either relocated, travelled back to the
South or stayed back with their parents in
their respective states to come back after
the election, that is, if the election goes
without hitches or post-election violence.
Economies of many of these states are
said to have been affected by this, as
business activities are at their ebb.
Daily Independent investigation revealed
that, some shops in markets across
Kaduna have remained locked for almost
three months while some property owners
are either selling off their property or
leasing them.
Some residents, who spoke to our
correspondent said the reassurances of
protection of lives and property by the
state government have so far not changed
much as the mass return continued. Asked
if the places they were running to were
safer, some said if they must die, let it be
amongst their people.
Tajudeen Ajibade, a leader of the Yorubas
in Kaduna blamed the decision to return to
their home states on the tension generated
ahead of the elections, because he believe
that crises would erupt due to some of the
inflammatory statements being made.
While trying to douse such fears, he said:
“I see no reason why anyone should be
leaving. You should stay where you are
registered and think seriously about the
Nigerian Project.
Dominic Uzu, who spoke on behalf of Chief
Barrister Chris Nnolie, President of Igbo
residents in Kaduna, however, denied any
such exodus by Ndigbo, whom, he said,
have been urged to stay and vote where
they are registered.
Most of those who spoke to Daily
Independent like Kenneth Onwubiko,
however, said the fears being expressed
are real, insisting that nobody can talk him
out of returning to his homeland.
Madam Martha, 65, recalled from
experience then as a teenager that the
Nigerian civil war which started gradually,
with people at home calling on families
members to return home.
Mark Jacob, Legal Adviser to the Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and a
PDP stalwart in Kaduna State said people
would only move with the benefit of
hindsight.
He concurred that “during the 2011 post-
election violence non- indigenes were
targeted. We believe that such a thing
should not happen again because if people
are moving away from the North it should
be of great concern to all politicians.”
He called on politicians to be careful not to
send wrong signals through their
language.
Over the past week in Maiduguri, the Borno
State capital, there had also been exodus
of people gripped by fear over possible
post-election hostilities.
Besides the activities of the Boko Haram
insurgents, memories of the 2011 post-
election violence in some parts of the
northern region remained fresh, as it
claimed many lives, especially of those
from southern states.
A trip to luxury bus parks in the state
showed that such travelers in their
hundreds were seen struggling to purchase
tickets, leading to a sharp hike in fares to
N6,500 per passenger from N4,500
exclusive of their loads.
Chuks Ibe, one of the travelers, told Daily
Independent in one of the parks that he
was ready to pay as much as N10,000 to
return “home”.
When contacted an Igbo leader in Borno
State, Oscar Onoh, said the exodus of
Ndigbo was informed by certain unhealthy
utterances that tend to instil fear into them.
“Imagine a situation where some natives
would be telling the non-natives that some
people’s throats will be slit in this election.
So, that’s why our people are leaving
pending the outcome of the election,” he
stated.
On his part, the Leader of Yoruba
community in Borno State, Yusuf Alao,
who admitted that some southerners were
fleeing, blamed it on some comments
being made in the town that the country
would break up, among others.
“I have told my people not to panic; that
nothing will happen. People should remain
calm and go about their normal business
as Nigeria will not break and there will be
no crisis in the election,” Alao, also known
as mai Yorubawa (Yoruba leader) said.
The movement out of Bauchi in large
number became noticeable as non-
indigenes who travelled for Christmas
celebration also opted to stay back until
after election while others have started
leaving since January 2015.
When Daily Independent visited a luxury
bus park along Maiduguri bye-pass in
Bauchi, Ejike Isu, a resident, who escorted
his wife and children to the park said: “I
am sending my wife and children home
while I will join them by next weekend
because we don’t know what will happen
during the election. We don’t want to be
caught unawares.”
A businessman in Bauchi, Emeka Aneke,
from Ebonyi State who said he would be
travelling to his home town by first week of
February said he chattered an 18-seater
bus to convey his family home three
weeks ago.
“I stopped buying goods since last
November, so I am only selling the ones I
have in the shop because it is better for
me to keep the money in the bank so that
if it happens that we are not able to come
back to Bauchi, I can use my money to
start business in another state,” he said.
Another Igbo leader who craved anonymity
said: “As a leader, I am not supposed to
tell people to flee the state because we are
supposed to stay back and exercise our
franchise as citizens of Nigeria, but
unfortunately with the security challenges
in the north coupled with harsh political
utterances from the two major parties, we
need to move to our home town to be safe.
Tessy Emmanuel, a banker who hails from
Benue State had no plans to travel, but the
violence that erupted the day President
Jonathan visited Bauchi for campaign rally
made her to change her mind.
Kano, commercial capital of Northern
Nigeria is not left out, as passengers daily
besiege the New Road motor park in the
city.
One of such, Uche Onyeama, told our
correspondent he was leaving town
because there was uncertainty hence the
need to be where his safety is guaranteed.
A tricycle operator Saidu Bala told our
correspondent that in Badawa Quarters of
Kano, where he plied his trade, a lot of
non-indigenes have left town, while those
who remained have been sending their
families home and to follow later.
Reacting, the Sarkin Yoruba of Kano, Saliu
Olowo said the fear was uncalled for,
appealing for calm, just as he urged
politicians to desist from campaigns of
calumny.
Leader of Ndigbo in Kano, J. C. Nnaji,
agreed with his Yoruba counterpart that
there is no reason for the exodus of non-
indigenes as it would only show a sign of
disharmony which did not exist.
In Uyo, Akwa Ibom, the heavy traffic at the
state transport company’s park gave an
outlook of a festivity as many were seen
with household items and members of
their families.
One of them, Mrs. Julie Udoh, told our
correspondent that she had spent her
entire life in the north but was for the first
time feeling serious sense of insecurity and
decided to relocate to her state of origin.
At the Kano, Sokoto, Jebba, Lokoja, Birnni-
Kebbi bound bus station, in the Ojoo motor
park, in Ibadan, Oyo State, our
correspondent learnt that there was in-
bound traffic, with minimal outbound
buses. He however said not only non-
indigenes as northerners were also fleeing
from their places of origin as a result of
the Boko-Haram insurgency and with the
election around the corner.
One of the drivers plying Ibadan/Kano
route, Tajudeen Kareem, confirmed to our
reporter that a lot of people, who returned
for Christmas stayed back for whatever
reasons. This, he said, “is a wise decision
if it is because of the election because
nobody can say what will happen.”



http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/02/tension-southerners-flee-north-polls/

it is called WISDOM.

I will say nothing...


Just read the handwriting on the wall.

Dey betr run...sell dem shops and pack out from d north....we northners are tired of accommodating them for so long...

This is a very good development, inasmuch I advocate for Peace, unity and oneness this guy's are unpredictable but anyway...




SaiBaba
SaiBaba

#IHaveDecided

kestolove95:
Dey betr run...sell dem shops and pack out from d north....we northners are tired of accommodating them for so long...

it is a pity

Who will forget what happend in 2011? Who can forget those corpers that lost their live? Who is in a hurry to forget that baboons & monkeys have always been soaked in the blood...


Run for your life, if you love yourself...