Admin l Tuesday, June 08, 20201
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Northern Elders Forum(NEF) has said that it will not be the best choice for the Igbo or Nigerians to leave a country all have toiled to build with a responsibility to fix, but that it will not help a country already burdened with failures on its knees to fight another war to keep Igbo in Nigeria.
“The North is willing to discuss all matters related to constitutional amendments/ restructuring with the leadership of the country and other groups who see their presence in the future of Nigeria”, NEF said in a statement signed by its Director Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed after a review of events in the country.
According to NEF, events suggest that the country is headed for more crises.” Nigerians live in fear of violence today, and in fear of uncertain future”, it said, adding that the capacity of the Nigerian State to secure citizens, protect the country’s territorial integrity and resist violent assaults on our unity is weakening to the levels of making threats that have no impact”.
NEF said armed criminals of all types have increased their audacious stranglehold over our lives in all parts of the country.” Irredentists are increasingly asserting their influence over in the South East and some part of the country and that rhetoric from political leaders and ethnic champions who speak in threats and demands routinely suggest that the sentiments in support of irredentism are becoming more widespread.
NEF asserted that all Nigerians are paying the price of failure of two sets of leaders. “At the national level, the administration appears to have lost the capacity to halt the gradual descent of the country into anarchy. Political leaders in the South East appear to have submitted to violence and terror of IPOB and ESN”, adding that muted voices of millions of Igbo cannot be heard so that fellow Nigerians could understand the degree to which secession by the Igbo represents the popular choice.
The forum noted that this nation has had to fight a terrible war to preserve the country and that the North had paid its dues in that war, as indeed it did in many ways throughout the history of the country and as such no Nigerian should welcome another war to keep the country together.
“The North in particular has more than enough challenges, and we recognize that violent secession by any part of Nigeria will compound the problems all Nigerians live with”, the forum said.
The Forum concluded that if support for secession among the Igbo is as widespread as it is being made to look, and Igbo leadership appears to be in support of it, then the country should be advised not stand in its way.
The Forum insisted that attacks and killings of Northerners and Federal Government employees and destruction of National assets must stop and those who have been involved in it must be arrested and prosecuted.
It added that until the Igbo decide whether it wants to secede or remain part of Nigeria, the law applies to it, and that the Federal and State Governors who have responsibility to enforce the law and protect citizens must enforce it.
“We support calls for Northerners who are exposed to harassment and violence to consider relocating to the North . Unlike the postures and complacency of the leaders of the South East, we advise that all Igbo and other ethnic groups from the South residing in the North should be accorded the usual hospitality and security”, the Northern Elders Forum , NEF said.
