Breaking News: "Igbo Free To Leave, They Feel We Northerners Are Parasites" - Northern Elders Back Quit Notice Issued By Youths

The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) on Friday expressed support to the call by the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups for Igbo to leave the region within three months.

The group, through its spokesman, Ango Abdullahi, who made its position known despite widespread condemnation that followed the ultimatum earlier handed by the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, also expressed disappointment with the northern governors’ forum for disowning the youth groups.

 Abdullahi, who spoke with journalists in Zaria on Friday said;

“I am disappointed in the decision taken by northern governors’ forum disowning and condemning the agitation by this young agile and progressive youth groups,”  

“Let me ask these northern governors, who are they representing? Are they representing spirits, ghost or people of the north? 

“Recently, people from eastern part of this country, specifically Igbo, were busy calling for the sovereign state of Biafra and from all indication their leaders including governors are behind them.” 

“This is somebody who has been agitating for the breakup of Nigeria but his people were behind him, therefore, I am behind the youths,”  

“This is because the northern youths are pushed to the wall, we have been calming them down in any event similar to this,”

Speaking specifically on the Igbo, Abdullahi said the people from the south were always pretending that people from the north were cheating them. He said;

“These people always pretend that the north is cheating them, not minding the fact that southern Nigeria was developed by resources from the north,” 

“Please, look for a book written by Adamu FiKa, the Waziri of FiKa on Nigeria’s budget before and after independence. 

“Each year, up to the time Nigeria gained its independence, none of the two regions was able to provide for itself. 

“I mean none of the western and eastern regions had the money to effectively run the affairs of its region until they get financial support from the Northern region.”

“First oil exploration was conducted using money from groundnut pyramid, cotton, hide and skin among other cash crops from northern Nigeria,” he said. 

“However, these people tend to forget all these goodies provided by the North toward ensuring the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria. 

“They always look down on us, feeling that Northerners are parasites in this country.”