NANS to occupy Kaduna over Arewa Youth’s quit notice to Igbos

From: Madu Ezenoha, Enugu

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Sunday announced that as part of efforts to douse the raging tension in the country, particularly as it concerns the June 16, 2017 Kaduna Declaration, by Arewa Youths giving Igbos quit notice, it shall be occupying the “great City of Kaduna on a Peace And Unity Rally starting from September 30 to October 3, 2017” to reassure people in the north and the country in general that indeed Nigeria is united.

The apex students association called on the federal government to commence immediate engagement with stakeholders to begin to find lasting solutions to the socio-political crisis currently threatening nation’s existence.

NANS said that there is ominous signs hanging over the corporate existence of Nigeria especially increasing agitation for secession by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign Sate of Biafra (MASSOB) as well as the quit notice given to Igbos living in the northern part of the country by Arewa Youths.

The National President of NANS, Comrade Aruna Kadiri, raised the concerns in Enugu on Sunday during a press conference tagged “The Peace and Unity of Nigeria Under Threat: NANS Rises to the Occasion of Urgency of Now”.

He said, “We call on the Federal Government to immediately engage all stakeholders to begin to find a lasting solution to these issues and douse the tension in the country.

“In between all these agitations there must be a solution which will keep Nigeria united, just and equitable.

“This is the stance of NANS. We must begin to engage. It is very urgent because we are already in a state of Emergency… The Nigerian House must not crumble. The signs are ominous and all progressive Nigerians must join in the fight for a united and equitable Nigeria,” he said.

Kadiri, who was surrounded by other national and zonal officers of NANS, stated that the choice of Enugu for the “World Press Conference” was because Enugu was the capital of Old Eastern Region and indeed, the headquarters of the Igbo people.

He said that Enugu was also significant for the conference because among the issues threatening to tear the country apart was the agitation of IPOB, “a group of some Igbo people”.

NANS called on the security agencies to equally be on high alert concerning the threats by some Arewa Youths to eject the Igbos from the north, even though NANS “wishes to assure all Nigerians living anywhere in Nigeria that there should be no reason to fear or panic”.