From: Madu Ezenoha, EnuguThe Arewa Youths should immediately withdraw the quit notice issued on Ndigbo to leave the North and direct same notice to Boko Haram, Boko Haram insurgents, as well as to corruption, unemployment and other
maladies bedeviling the nation.
The Nigerian Youth Dialogue Group (NYDG) gave the order at the weekend describing the quit notice to Ndigbo living in the Northern part of the country before October 1st, 2017, as completely misplaced and needless.
The group after its meeting in Enugu declared that Nigeria has gone beyond restructuring, saying “it is difficult to restructure a building with faulty foundation. What we need is total reconstruction”.
The convener of NYDG, Dr. Gideon Osi Chidiebere stated that the group will next month hold a national youth dialogue that will cut across youths from every part of the country, to change the negative narrative of ethnic hatred, religious bigotry, hate speeches and corrupt political system foisted on the Nigerian youth by elderly ones
especially the ‘crooked political class’.
They youths stated that their advocacy for dialogue was not out of cowardice or fear but because it is the civilized thing to do as dialogue remains the lubricant for national cohesion and development and that there was no substitute for it.
“Our country needs us (youths) now more than ever to stand and defend her from herself and most importantly from her enemies, especially enemies within that are responsible for the unemployment we have today, the insecurity that is threatening our collective existence, poor standard of living, particularly hunger that may wipe us out if we do nothing, poor healthcare, poor standard of education, etc”.
Also in a remark, Humphrey Onyima, a youth activist, stated that Nigeria needs to set pretence aside in search of unity, adding that negative tendencies such as injustice, inequality and lopsidedness in the political system must be addressed first.
He said that it was wrong for the Arewa Youths to issue quit notice to Igbo living in the North, saying that the issue of secession or self determination was a personal opinion of one man or few individuals which they are entitled to.
“You cannot equate the opinion of one man in Umuahia or London to the opinion of the man living in Kano, and begin to threaten his livelihood. That quit notice is a product of misplaced priority. We should stand collectively to give Boko Haram quit notice from Nigeria, give quit notice to corruption, to electoral malpractices and
political thuggery in 2019,” he said.
Another youth activist, Chika Temple blamed Nigeria’s political woes on Western politics especially Britain, saying “You don’t build on dilapidated foundation, or on deceit. We need to renegotiate and reconstruct Nigeria from the foundation. We need revolution of the mind. 2019 should be a litmus test for Nigerian youths to push away
corrupt political leaders and enthrone youths with integrity. We have the numerical strength and we must use it”.
Nigeria Youth Dialogue Group is made up of representatives of National Youth Council of Nigeria from various states, students’ leaders and bodies, Igbo Youth Forum and other Igbo youth organizations.
