South-South group cautions Arewa youths, urges IPOB, MASSOB, others to drop agitation
A South-South youths group under the aegis of Oil & Solid Mineral Producing Area Landlords Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN) has condemned the statement credited to the coalition of Northern youths, calling on the Igbos to quit the North before October 1.
According to the group, what Nigeria needs now is “Peace and Unity” which they noted is chief among the Vision & Mission of OMPALAN.
The group in a statement signed by their leaders, Hon. Benjamin Ngokanya and Captain John Victor Etim, they frowned at the motive of the sponsors of the controversial order and wondered what the sponsors of the hate speech would say about IPOB members on solidarity march for Trump and about North East and Boko Haram that had cost the country so much resources and brought her disrepute in the eyes of the international community.
They called on the authorities to look beyond the frontiers and appreciate the damage done to the image of Nigeria by Boko Haram within the comity of nations and take appropriate actions to check the unfolding distrust.
“If the Igbos are unfit to live in the North because they are allegedly causing problems for the Nigerian State, what do we say about the North East and Boko Haram?
“We cannot blame the entire Igbos or South East region for the isolated actions of a tiny but, vocal group (IPOB and MASSOP), in the same way the North East region cannot be blamed and penalised for the monumental destructions and killings occasioned by Boko Haram, which has cost the tax payer in Nigeria trillions of Naira.
They also advised every group advocating for secession in the country to sheath their sword and allow peace to reign, “All forms of agitations and threats for secession across the country should cease forthwith. Our political leaders and elders should come to a round table discussing without further delay to fashion a way forward for our dear country and remove the fragile peace process from limbo, aware that so many countries are looking up to us for leadership and inspiration,” they added.
