…IYC Warns Arewa Youths
SAN FRANCISCO, July 18, (THEWILL) – Foremost Ijaw youth organisation, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), worldwide on Thursday declared that it wouldn’t take lightly the alleged threat by the Arewa Youth Development Foundation that non-Northerner should leave the North within two weeks.
The now radicalised Ijaw youth organisation which made world headlines in 2005 with its foremost Kaiama Declaration, said it has already put on Niger Deltans on red alert over the declaration by the Northern youth group, saying the outburst could be the mindset of all Northerners.
IYC said that Niger Deltans have been told to be vigilant in the coming days following the purported threat made by the Northern group that Southerners currently living in the North have been given two-weeks ultimatum to relocate to their respective states to make room for Northerners who would be returning home.
It would be recalled that Northern youths under the auspices of Arewa Youth Council (AYC) had on Wednesday during a courtesy visit on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, called for the peaceful dissolution of the country, directing Southerners in the North, in a statement read and jointly signed by the group’s national president, Mr. Aliyu Usman and its secretary, Comrade Alfred Solomon, to start relocating from the North to create room for Northerners who will be leaving the South in the coming days.
Reacting to the development, IYC in a statement signed by its spokesman, Eric Omare and made available to THEWILL, said; “The IYC thanks the Arewa Youths for realising that Nigeria cannot remain one, though it is coming late.
“To the IYC, this call by Northern youths which reflects the mindset of the average Northerner has vindicated our age long position that the only thing holding Nigeria together is the petrol-dollars from the Niger-Delta.
“By this call, it is now crystal clear that the moment the oil wells in the Niger-Delta dry up, Nigeria would cease to exist.
“Furthermore, we also welcome Northern youth’s call for Northerners in the South to return home within two weeks and in the same vein the IYC calls on Niger-Deltans and Southerners in the North to return home before they are unjustly killed in the North.
“The IYC wishes to strongly call and warn Niger-Deltans and Southerners in the North to take this call very serious as the history of Nigeria’s recent past shows that Northern youths have the propensity to kill innocent Southerners for no reason as demonstrated in the post-2011 elections.
“The seriousness of the Northern youths’ demand is underpinned by the fact that the call was made in the palace of a leading Northern Traditional Ruler, the Emir of Kano, Sanusi 11.
“Therefore, the IYC is more than convinced that the statement by the Northern youths is a clear demonstration of the mindset of the entire North.
“The lessons of the Boko Haram needless killings with Northerners being unwilling to initiate or compliment government efforts like the Niger Delta leaders did shows that this threat must not be taken with a pinch of salt.
“The IYC calls on Niger-Delta Governors and other Southern States to accommodate and take care of Southerners that would be returning home, while calling on Niger-Deltans to be vigilant in the coming days.”
Foremost Ijaw youth organisation, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), worldwide on Thursday declared that it wouldn’t take lightly the alleged threat by the Arewa Youth Development Foundation that non-Northerner should leave the North within two weeks.
The now radicalised Ijaw youth organisation which made world headlines in 2005 with its foremost Kaiama Declaration, said it has already put on Niger Deltans on red alert over the declaration by the Northern youth group, saying the outburst could be the mindset of all Northerners.
IYC said that Niger Deltans have been told to be vigilant in the coming days following the purported threat made by the Northern group that Southerners currently living in the North have been given two-weeks ultimatum to relocate to their respective states to make room for Northerners who would be returning home.
It would be recalled that Northern youths under the auspices of Arewa Youth Council (AYC) had on Wednesday during a courtesy visit on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, called for the peaceful dissolution of the country, directing Southerners in the North, in a statement read and jointly signed by the group’s national president, Mr. Aliyu Usman and its secretary, Comrade Alfred Solomon, to start relocating from the North to create room for Northerners who will be leaving the South in the coming days.
Reacting to the development, IYC in a statement signed by its spokesman, Eric Omare and made available to THEWILL, said; “The IYC thanks the Arewa Youths for realising that Nigeria cannot remain one, though it is coming late.
“To the IYC, this call by Northern youths which reflects the mindset of the average Northerner has vindicated our age long position that the only thing holding Nigeria together is the petrol-dollars from the Niger-Delta.
“By this call, it is now crystal clear that the moment the oil wells in the Niger-Delta dry up, Nigeria would cease to exist.
“Furthermore, we also welcome Northern youth’s call for Northerners in the South to return home within two weeks and in the same vein the IYC calls on Niger-Deltans and Southerners in the North to return home before they are unjustly killed in the North.
“The IYC wishes to strongly call and warn Niger-Deltans and Southerners in the North to take this call very serious as the history of Nigeria’s recent past shows that Northern youths have the propensity to kill innocent Southerners for no reason as demonstrated in the post-2011 elections.
“The seriousness of the Northern youths’ demand is underpinned by the fact that the call was made in the palace of a leading Northern Traditional Ruler, the Emir of Kano, Sanusi 11.
“Therefore, the IYC is more than convinced that the statement by the Northern youths is a clear demonstration of the mindset of the entire North.
“The lessons of the Boko Haram needless killings with Northerners being unwilling to initiate or compliment government efforts like the Niger Delta leaders did shows that this threat must not be taken with a pinch of salt.
“The IYC calls on Niger-Delta Governors and other Southern States to accommodate and take care of Southerners that would be returning home, while calling on Niger-Deltans to be vigilant in the coming days.”
