Quit Notice: Northern Elders declare secessionists, agents of disunity

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has described those agitating for the exodus Ndigbo from the north, secessionist or those plotting for the disintegration of the country as agents of disunity whose aim is to cause disaffection and chaos among the various sections of the country.

According to a statement on Sunday signed by Mohammed Isa, the newly elected convener of the forum, Mr. Paul Iyorpuu Unongo, made the remark in Kano when he led the executive members of NEF to condole with the state governor, Dr. Umar Ganduje, over the death of late Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano.

Unongo maintained that those seeking to balkanize the country, especially those of them from the Northern part of the country had lost touch with the prevailing realities on ground, adding that they were not acting on behalf of the forum and lacked the legitimacy to be recognised.

He recalled the bitter lessons of Nigeria’s civil war insisting that “every responsible and patriotic Nigerian should oppose any move aimed at putting Nigeria asunder.”

Unongo added that the forum was “no safe haven for those whose penchant for disunity is on a crude pedestal, regardless of the consequences of their campaign of attrition.”

According to him, “An evidence of our commitment as one Northern entity and to sustain the legacy left behind by Dan Masani is the decision of my colleagues in the forum to trust me with its leadership.”

While berating some elders in the North for making remarks detrimental to the unity of the region, Unongo said, “It is unfortunate that at this moment, such unguarded remarks are coming out from supposed elders of the region.”

Responding, Ganduje commended members of the forum for the visit and urged them to continue with their efforts at keeping Nigeria one.

You may recall that until his death, Amb. Maitama Sule was the convener of the Northern Elders Forum.