Shettima-Yerima: led Arewa youths to demand Igbo vacate the North

As the Federal Government continues to explore channels towards dousing ethnic tensions in the country, leaders of the Arewa Youth Coalition, led by its leader, Yerima Shettima, on Tuesday reportedly met with the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matter, Senator Babafemi Ojudu in his office, where a promise was obtained to vacate the October 1 threat issued by the northern group.

TEMPO was reliably informed that the no-hold bared interface, was called to interface with the coalition on the need to engender national cohesion among ethnic nationalities in the country.

While disclosing the rationale for the issuance of the deadline, where it mandated Igbos residing in the north to vacate the region, the group restated that its action was driven by patriotism and nation’s building.

The northern youths that visited

The Arewa group described their action as pre-emptive in view of the incessant war threats by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and threats against other nationalities.

Shettima was quoted to insist that the gains so far recorded by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari must not be allowed to go down the drains by divisive comments by the Biafran agitators.

Insider sources confided in this newspaper that the meeting was fruitful as the youths pledged their commitment to the peace moves by Government and possibility of standing down its threat later this week.

Arewa youths shocked the nation when it issued the sack threat weeks back, in response to continued agitation by IPOB’s clamour to pull out of Nigeria.

But in a new development, the youth said it was ready to reconsider its position at a press conference scheduled to hold on Thursday.

Apart from Shettima, other members at the meeting include Nastura Shariff of the Arewa Citizens Action for Change; Aminu Adam of Arewa Youth Development Foundation; Samaila Musa of Nothern Youth Frontiers; Mohammed Mohammed, leader of the Northern Youth Stakeholders Forum and Arewa Citizen Action for Change’s Jamil Bello.

Others are leader of the Arewa Students Forum, Jamil Charanchi; Northern Emancipation Network leader, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman; Yusuf Amoke of the Northern Anti-corruption Front; Idoko Onoja, leader of the Middle Belt Youth Coalition Network and Mohammed AbdulHamid of North Central Youth Congress.

The presidential aide thanked his visitors and urged them to embrace peace and unity in line with the administration’s desire for a united and peaceful nation.