Northern youths to withdraw Igbo quit notice on August 24
- The Coalition of Northern Youth Groups (CNYG) has been in the news lately
- The group came into national prominence when it issued a quit notice to Igbos living in the north
- There are rumours that the quit notice will be withdrawn today, Thursday, August 24 following the intervention of northern leaders
A report by Leadership indicates that barring any last minute change of mind, the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups (CNYG) will today, Thursday, August 24 suspend the quit notice issued to Igbos to leave the north by October 1.
A source quoted in the report said the northern youths have concluded plans to announce the suspension of the quit notice at an international press conference in Abuja today, Thursday, August 24.
According to the source, the CNYG’s decision to withdraw the quit notice followed series of meeting with numerous stakeholders.
He said the final decision to withdraw the quit notice was taken last week at a meeting between the leadership of the coalition and seven prominent northern elders.
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
“At the meeting which took place last week Wednesday, the Northern elders persuaded the Arewa youths to withdraw the quit notice for the sake of national interest, in order that the country be kept as one”, the source added.
Legit.ng gathered that since the declaration, the Arewa youths had been engaged in series of meetings with eminent stakeholders in the country in frantic moves to prevail on them to rescind their decision.
The stakeholders who invited the coalition for a meeting include eminent northern traditional rulers, the Northern Governors’ Forum led by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state, the Directorate of State Security, the National Peace Committee, the Northern Elders Forum, several Igbo leaders and cultural groups, including Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths Worldwide and the Eze Ndigbo in all the 19 northern states.
Also, a position paper by the coalition titled, ‘General Assessment and Possibility of Review of the Kaduna Declaration' and a letter it wrote to the Vice President signed by its chairman, N.A Shariff, confirmed the decision by the northern youth groups to withdraw the quit notice.
“We have resolved to announce at an open air international press conference on Thursday, August 24, 2017 in Abuja the definite suspension of the relocation clause contained in the Kaduna Declaration”, CYNG told Osinbajo in the letter titled, ‘Update on The Kaduna Declaration and Commending Your Excellency’s Effort at Maintaining National Security and Peace’
In the position paper, the CNYG said the decision to withdraw the quit notice is tied to a set of demands which it had articulated for the attention of the National Peace Committee, the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) for onward transmission to the presidency.
The conditions attached include the immediate re-arrest of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who breached his bail conditions.
The CNYG noted in the paper that they were at different times prevailed upon by stakeholders to reconsider their stance in the interest of national security and unity.
Meanwhile, pan-Yoruba social-political organisation, Afenifere and some Igbo groups have insisted that IPOB is not a terrorist organisation.
The groups were reacting to a recent order by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to crack down on members of the group and other dissidents in the country.
“It is a wrong approach. You cannot treat Boko Haram and an open organization like IPOB in the same manner,” the groups said.
READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu sends strong message to President Buhari
Watch IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu speak on the activities of the group on Legit.ng TV:
Source: Legit.ng
