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.
This is what we acted upon and said, please come and go. Since you want to go, we will draw the attention of the international community to conduct a referendum that you are looking for because you cannot go without a referendum.
You cannot rule out the fact that we are aware that some Igbo don't believe in IPOB. So, definitely, we want to make it very clear that if there is a referendum, those who want to go should go, and those who want to stay, there is no problem. There was no time that we said we were going to forcefully move anybody away from the North. No, we are learned, we are intelligent and mature.
You argue that the acting President was supposed to meet with the youths, who are the issue and not with the elders?
We were not part of the meeting, but we are watching with keen interest. We expect government to also use their senses to know that we are not kids, and it is important that in anything you are initiating, nobody would come and say he is talking for us there. It is also good for the government to speak with the elders, but it should look directly from our own angle and give us the opportunity to sit and talk, that would make more sense.
By the time they discuss with the elders and talk with us they would be able to find a lasting solution to the trouble.
Now the acting President has read the riot act to deal with anybody who threatens the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria, what is your position on this vis a vis your earlier declaration?
It's okay for me. It means that the government is a responsible one. Government will not tolerate anybody causing trouble. The acting president's position is very c
