Southeastern Governors Forum assures all Igbos living in northern Nigeria of their safety

GOVERNORS of the five states of southeast Nigeria have assured all Igbos living in the north of the country that they will be safe despite the looming October 1 deadline given to them by Arewa youth groups.

Earlier this year, a coalition of Arewa youth groups gave Igbos living in northern Nigeria am ultimatum to leave the region in response to the growing Biafran agitation. Looking for a way of resolving the crisis, the governors of the five southeastern states recently met in Enugu, where they disclosed among other things that they were in constant touch with the Northern Governors’ Forum over the matter.

At the end of the meeting, the governors revealed that they are talking to the federal government, as well as other stakeholders to ensure that nothing untoward happen to Igbos residing in the north come October 1. Briefing journalists at the end of their meeting, the chairman of the forum and Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, said they were working in partnership with Ohanaeze Ndigbo to reach out to the northern leaders.

Governor Umahi said: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo briefed us and of course we have been in touch with the federal government. We have also been in constant touch with our colleagues and Ohanaeze has also been in constant touch with our people in northern Nigeria.

"We want to assure all our people in northern Nigeria that we are in constant touch and dialogue with the federal government and of course in liaison with the Northern Governors’ Forum to make sure that the lives and properties of our people are very secured. On this development we will continue to monitor to make sure no Igbo man living anywhere in this country is living in fear or is disadvantaged or the live threatened."

In addition, the governors also adopted the Professor Bart Nnaji’s Geometric Power Company’s power project in Aba, Abia State, saying the forum would use it as a model to jumpstart the economic integration of the zone. They also announced plans to establish five mega industrial clusters in each state in the zone, saying that an economic team and the forum’s secretariat had been directed to work out modalities for the takeoff of the project.

Furthermore, the forum threw its weight behind the November governorship elections in Anambra State and called on the stakeholders to play according to rules. Governor Umahi called on everyone to ensure that the elections held peacefully.