The Northern Elders\u2019 Forum, on Friday, expressed support to the call by the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups for Igbo to leave the region within three months.<\/p>\n
The Forum expressed \u201cdisappointment\u201d with the Northern Governors\u2019 Forum for disowning the youth groups.<\/p>\n
Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the NEF spokesperson, told newsmen in Zaria on Friday that it was hypocritical for the Igbo to continue to live in other parts of the country while agitating for Nigeria\u2019s break up.<\/p>\n
Ango said, \u201cI am disappointed in the decision taken by Northern Governors\u2019 Forum disowning and condemning the agitation by this young, agile and progressive youth groups.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me ask these Northern governors, who are they representing, are they representing spirits, ghosts or people of the North?<\/p>\n
\u201cRecently, people from eastern part of this country, specifically Igbo, were busy calling for the Sovereign State of Biafra and from all indications, their leaders \u2014 including governors \u2014 are behind them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cWhoever feels Nigeria is not conducive for him, let him quit;\u201d noting that what the northern youth groups did was not a sin.<\/p>\n
He lamented that none of the Northern governors reacted to the persistent call for the actualisation of Biafra and other agitations.<\/p>\n
Abdullahi said when Nnamdi Kanu was released on bail recently, over 100 vehicles escorted him to his residence, including big personalities from the south-west and south-east.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is somebody who has been agitating for the break-up of Nigeria; but his people were behind him. Therefore, I am behind the (Northern) youths.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is because the Northern youths are pushed to the wall. We have been calming them down in any event similar to this,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n
Speaking specifically on the Igbo, Ango said the people from the South were always pretending that people from the North were cheating them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people always pretend that the North is cheating them, not minding the fact that Southern Nigeria was developed by resources from the North.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, look for a book written by Adamu Fika, the Waziri of Fika, on Nigeria\u2019s budget before and after Independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach year, up to the time Nigeria gained its Independence, none of the two regions was able to provide for itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, none of the Western and Eastern regions had the money to effectively run the affairs of its region until they got financial support from the Northern region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He recalled that the tradition had remained during the colonial period and nothing changed after the colonial masters left the country.<\/p>\n
Ango said it was the same money from the North that was used to construct Nigerian railways, refineries and other facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst oil exploration was conducted using money from groundnut pyramid, cotton, hide and skin, among other cash crops from Northern Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, these people tend to forget all these goodies provided by the North toward ensuring the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey always look down on us, feeling that Northerners are parasites in this country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Northern Elders\u2019 Forum, on Friday, expressed support to the call by the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups for Igbo to leave the region within three months. The Forum expressed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n