By Gabriel Kekong, Abuja
In their bid to chat a way forward for ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, the Indigenous Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria, (IEYLN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to caution his kinsmen over the incessant attacks on other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
The National Chairman of the IEYLN, Comrade Gonet Nensok made the call on Wednesday during a one-day seminar of all the Nigeria ethnic youths leaders held at The Statement Hotel, Abuja.
According to Comrade Nensok, “Your Excellency President Mohammadu Buhari, we implore you to call your kinsmen to order. Heed to your slogan of “I belong to everybody, I belong to nobody”.
He said Nigeria is in dire need of peace and unity but stating that peace and unity can only come where there is justice. However, assured that as youths and leaders of their ethnic groups, they would not relent in their efforts to ensuring that peace and unity prevail in Nigeria by putting the required pressure on the corridor of power through their representatives in both the State and the Federal Houses of Assembly to ensure the right things are done for peace and tranquillity to return to the country.
Comrade Nensok stated that the deliberate silence on the part of the Federal Government of Nigeria on the killings of Innocent indigenous Nigerians by the acclaimed foreign Fulani terrorists is a contributing factor to Nigeria’s disunity. “Our communities are being ransacked by Fulani militias, our parents are being killed, our wives and sisters are raped and killed. The natural instinct in all living beings cannot encourage one to be silent in the face of such barbaric actions, hence the futility of peace in Nigeria at present.
The statement read in parts, “My fellow Ethnic Youth Presidents and members of the press, our country, Nigeria, has lately been facing challenges in various forms. This is the first of its kind that all the indigenous ethnic youth leaders of Nigeria are coming together to brainstorm on the happenings in our dear country. We are apolitical and we dissociated ourselves from faceless ethnic youth leaders who dabble themselves into castigating one political party against the other. We are individually recognized by our paramount ethnic rulers as presidents of our youths.
“You will agree with us that children are the leaders of tomorrow, the youths are the leaders of today and the elders were the leaders of yesterday. It is shameful that we are nowhere close to this reality. The ‘Not too young to run bill recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari was to encourage us the youths, but how prepared are the elders to mentor and relinquish power to us?
“As youths and leaders of our ethnic groups, we would not relent in our efforts to ensuring that peace and unity prevail in our country by putting the required pressure on the corridor of power through our representatives in both the State and the Federal Houses of Assembly to ensure the right things are done for peace and tranquillity because peace and unity cannot be achieved with injustice.
“Ethnic Nationalities of Nigeria have not been receiving equal treatment, hence the total collapse of trust in our country today. Our grandparents fought for ONE Nigeria devotes to sectionalism and nepotism, but today the reverse is the case. All these are fallout in leadership. We cannot watch our country drifting into a state of anarchy. All regions of Nigeria today are yarning for secession for a perceived injustice.
“The deliberate silence on the part of the Federal Government on the killings of Innocent indigenous Nigerians by the acclaimed foreign Fulani terrorists is a contributing factor to Nigeria’s disunity. Our communities are being ransacked by Fulani militias, our parents are being killed, our wives and sisters are raped and killed. The natural instinct in all living beings cannot encourage one to be silent in the face of such barbaric actions, hence the futility of peace in Nigeria at present.
“Your Excellency Sir, we want to remind you of the happenings of the past; in 2003 during the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, OPC had its revolution from the Yoruba extraction, and being a Yoruba man in power he addressed it amicably. The same thing happened during Late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua when Goodluck Jonathan was the Vice President, same agitation by the Niger Delta Militants; President Jonathan followed them to the creeks and talked them into embracing peace, and they dropped their arms. Please, we are calling you to do the same to save our nation from collapsing.
“We are tired of living in perpetual fear of being attacked by foreign militias in our land; About 45 corpses of innocent Nigerians from southern Kaduna extraction killed three days ago by Fulani militias would be buried. We are tired of burying our loved ones and have collectively vowed to deploy every means of self-defence within the ambit of the law to protect our people and our land.
Meanwhile. The group commended the efforts of gallant security agencies for doing their best, putting their lives on the line serving their fatherland.
“We also commend the bravery of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state, Southern governors forum and lately Katsina State governor for enacting a law banning open grazing across their states to adopt a modern form of animal Ranching. We call on other governors to emulate the same for the safety of Nigerians.
“We call on our legislators to heed to the electoral reforms in Nigeria for Nigeria votes to count during elections. Because only that would make our dream leaders emerge. We call on all our youths to wake to the challenge of the day and hold our representatives to account for their stewardship.
We cannot end this without specifically commending the efforts of our elder statesmen who never kept quiet in the face of injustice in Nigeria. Ordinary President, Ahmed Isa of Human Rights Radio, Sheik Mohammed Nuru Khalid of Apo legislative quarters mosque; Bishop Hassan Kukah amongst many others for standing on the path of justice while telling truth to the seat of power.
“We mourn with the family of Chief Obadiah Mailafia who gave his all before his demise, exposing the evil being perpetrated against indigenous Nigerians by foreign Fulani militias; we shall continue to remember our heroes who put their all to save our nation.
“We, therefore, call on the National Youth Council of Nigeria, the National Association of Nigerian Students and all youth bodies who belong to ethnic nationalities of Nigeria to key into our quest for peaceful coexistence in Nigeria,” the statement said.
