National President
of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima,
who has consistently presented himself as a detribalised Nigerian, has
been on the hot seat since the June 6 ‘Kaduna Declaration’, where his
group and other youth organisations from the North gave the Igbo 90-day
ultimatum to leave the region.
In this interview with VINCENT KALU,
Alhaji Shetima said his coalition will abide by the order of the Acting
President, Yemi Osinbajo, who has threatened to deal with any person
promoting hate speeches or doing anything that undermines peaceful
coexistence of Nigerians.
Why were you not part of the Northern leaders that met with acting President Osinbajo on Tuesday?
It is amazing and funny, and I don’t
understand that. This is where we are always having problems. This is an
issue that has to do with us and nobody cared to invite us and the
government didn’t deem it fit to invite us or to send our own
representatives if any. Rather some people were invited or selected by
the government.
I just hope somebody is not going to
claim that he was there on our behalf. I think it is important now that
we are talking about building a nation, and we, the younger generation
that constitutes over 50 per cent of the population, would be drawn to
discuss with the government at other levels so that there would be
understanding between us and other people across the side of the
country, but unfortunately we are not invited.
This issue is about us and no elders are
involved; it is about us, to say this is how we feel and make our own
contributions towards the unity and progress of the country.
What we told the Igbo was that, you said
you wanted to leave, come and go. If the truth must be told, let us know
that you are part of us and not when you are divided.
I give you an example, Senator Ike
Ekweremadu, being the number two person in the Senate played a major
role in the release of Nnamdi Kanu. Is he supposed to show his loyalty
to Biafra or Nigeria completely?
Those are the issues that gave us a lot
of headache. What we said was in good faith, we didn’t mean to unleash
any terror or violence. We believe strongly in Nigeria, but we cannot
encourage people who say, they want to go and they continue to threaten
us, and making inciting statements that are capable of breaking up the
country. Read more
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