The duo of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo has dissociated themselves from the protest being planned by some shadowy groups.
Also yesterday Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani cautioned North’s youths to shun calls for protest.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), however, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address grievances being expressed by those planning the protest.
ACF National Chairman Mamman Mike Osuman said the indices that track human progress, including poverty, illiteracy, health, and security of life and property, tend to place the North at the back.
He dissociated the group from the proposed protest, saying that it is ill-timed and counter-productive.
Osuman said: “We at ACF remain committed to articulating and defending the interests of the peoples of the North through our various activities. One such was the recently constituted Technical Committee that reviewed the 1999 Constitution (as amended) by the ACF.
“The report of the Technical Committee formed the basis of ACF’s submission to the joint committees of the National Assembly on Constitution review. Our input will be formally made available to the Northern Governors’ Forum.”
Ohanaeze said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, that Nigerians should understand that the current economic situation will not last forever.
According to the group, “tough times never last, but tough people do.”
The statement reads: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo seized this opportunity to reiterate our position with respect to the widely publicised nationwide protest scheduled for the days of August, 2024.
“On February, 20, 2024, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, directed the Igbo not to join in the protest against President Bola Tinubu.
“The Igbo leader explained that “Igbo youths and youths from other ethnic groups at various times expressed their dissatisfaction with events in the country.
“It is clear to us that when youths from other tribes of the country are involved, they are reprimanded and forgiven; but when the Igbo youths are involved, they are arrested, incarcerated and even charged for serious offences. For example, the arrest and detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu generated a lot of problems for the Igbos among others.
“Emphatically, the current hardship in Nigeria is the comeuppance of Igbophobia. It is an unavoidable outcome of an orchestrated injustice, marginalization, callous conspiracies, corporate shenanigans and ethnic bigotry against the Igbo.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo believes that there can never be peace, progress and national development when there is a deliberate government policy of injustice, tantrums and brimstones against a vibrant, capacious, resourceful, resilient and populous ethnic group such as the Igbo.
The group reacted to a remark by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, that “the malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi and that Obi “should be held responsible for whatever crisis that emanates from the protest.”
Ohanaeze also objected to Onanuga’s remark that Obidients are “plotting to unseat President Bola Tinubu under the guise of protests,” thereby convening the impression that “the Igbo are the propellers of the forthcoming nationwide protest”.
