Following the three-months ultimatum given to Igbos residing in the
North by a coalition of Northern Youth groups, governors of the five
south-east states yesterday had a meeting in Ebonyi state where they
urged the Igbos residing in the Northern region not to panic and to
remain where they are and go about their activities without fear of
being attacked.
Chairman of the forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, who spoke on behalf of the governors after the meeting, said the ultimatum was not only provocative but mischievous and inciting.
He appealed to Northern leaders to speak wisdom to their
youths so that this issue can be addressed properly. Umahi also denied
claims that the governors had organized buses to move Igbos residing in
the North back home.
“We must call on all serious minded patriots, particularly the religious leadership in Northern Nigeria; the leadership of other socio-cultural groups in Northern Nigeria; the Nigerian Governors Forum; and all the service branches to rise up with voices of peace and wisdom to counteract the mischievousness and exuberant excesses of the northern youth. The ugly lessons of history are too grim to be stoked with carelessness.
As leaders, we must exert the full measure of our powers and influence to forestall a repletion. We call on all Igbo sons and daughters resident in Northern Nigeria to go about their lawful daily activities without fear of intimidation, hindrance or molestation.
The rumors being peddled on conventional and social media platforms that we, the governors of the south east have met and agreed to mobilise vehicles and cash for repatriation of Ndigbo resident in northern Nigeria must be disregarded, as they are nothing but tissues of lies. No amount of provocation would lead us to such precipitate an irresponsible action at this time.
Those exploiting such vacuous tittle-tattle as a basis for divisive rhetoric in public spaces are simply playing juvenile politics and we urge them to cease and desist.”he said
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