Igbos Must Go: Arewa Youths Are Ignorant Of Their Comments --- Usman

By Kenneth Orusi, The Nigerian Voice, Asaba
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Muktari Usman

Secretary to the Northern Traditional Council, South-south, South-East, Muktari Usman, has posited that the Arewa youths who are calling for the Igbos to quit the north have never experienced war.

While noting that the constitutional rights given to Nigerians by God should not be battered, he lamented that the country has found itself in a situation that is becoming unmanageable.

“It is regrettable that we have found ourselves in this difficulty. I think we cannot abuse the privilege given to us by God. I believe those boys; they don’t know what war is. If they experience what war is, they couldn’t be making these statements”.

He stated this Tuesday in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

Muktari, who doubles as the Special Assistant (SA), to the Delta State Governor on Non-Indigene Affairs, pointed out that the struggles of our heroes to see to the unity of the country, was not a mistake.

Hear Him: “I quite believe that our forefathers have so much invested their wealth, so many lives have been lost to see that there is this unity in Nigeria. So, if they can come from nowhere and say the Easterners should leave, I think there are some people that are backing them”, he alleged.

He stated that those giving the Hausa youths the backing for issuing the quit notice order on the Igbos would see what they are looking for before refraining from it, revealing that his grandfather built his first house in Cable area of Asaba, in 1880, “and it is still there. And I know the 100 per cent hospitality given to our people in the whole of South-south and South-East, which if we go back to the north, we cannot get such hospitality”.

He said the agitation of the Hausa youths would not see the light of the day, “the directive given to them by the South-south leaders, they should comply. Let them withdraw that statement”, he warned.

He called on those in the South-east to stop the intimidation in the name of agitating for Biafra and calling for the closure of markets, “as well, I should beg my brothers from the south-east; nobody is saying you should not agitate but you should not be intimidating people and as well saying all markets should be closed down. If you are looking for your right, you can go ahead but not by intimidation”.

He noted that he was not sure of winning any election in Kano, “because when I go back to Kano, I will not win any election. But I believe, not even me. I sponsored some persons and they won councillorship elections, which I cannot get that privilege in Kano. So I am comfortable here than in north”, reiterating that the Arewa youths should with matter of urgency withdraw their statements.

He disclosed that some delegation have been sent to the north to prevail on the youths, “two days after the Sallah, we are leaving to Kaduna to tell them that what they are doing is wrong. If they feel they can drive some persons from the north, they should remember that their brothers are here. If such things happen to their brother, they will not be happy”.

He said the call for Igbos to quit the north is a threat to the continuous unity of the country, “I did my primary, secondary and higher institution here. Suddenly, somebody said I should quit back to the north. Are you expecting me to go and rob?

According to him, when such happens, he would start life afresh, “when I go there, automatically I should start life afresh. Some people prefer that for you to send them from where they are you should better kill them and when you talk of the issue of killing, automatically it is war”, stressing that the Arewa youth should immediately comply with the directive of the south-south leaders have given for peace to reign in the country.

He called on the President Mohammadu Buhari-led federal government to listen to the Biafra agitators, “there is nothing like dialogue. When we dialogue, we come to the centre point where both of us will be happy”.

On the two years anniversary of the state governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, he said with the little resources coming to the state, the governor has done fairly well inspite of the huge wage bill even as he prayed that more development should be recorded by his administration.