The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Working Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi has spoken on the quit notice given by Arewa youths that Igbos should leave the north within 3 months.
Speaking with Vanguard, the former Kanduna State governor said Arewa youths should be ignored as the Northern leaders are the ones who should decide on such matters.
He said governor Nasir El-Rufai and other northern leaders have killed the matter when they called for the arrest of the youths.
He blames journalists for escalating the whole things and making Arewa youths relevant.
He said, “Arewa Youths is just a name who might have come from one or two states but because of the name, people assume that they are relevant.
“We should avoid propelling an issue to make it larger than life instead of minimizing the problem.
“In reporting such issues, journalists should not call it what it is and not giving it an identity that it is not thereby escalating issues.
“Unfair reportage and reaction creates a country reaction that is not good for this country. I am absolutely sure that the overwhelming majority of the people in the north were not in support of the statement of the Arewa youths when it was issued.
“The constituted authorities, the state governor, Nasir El Rufai and the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum reacted immediately.
“When they reacted, the rest of the country should have let the matter stop at that point and even commended them and also commented on things that are happening at their own back yard.
“But the reaction from the constituted authorities was completely ignored and emphasis was placed on the statement from the Arewa youths as if there was no reaction from constituted authorities.
“People will react naturally to say if leaders have risen to condemn the statement as soon as it was made yet the other ones have been going on for so long and people are carrying on as if one was right and only the other one was wrong.
“That created a wrong impression. Let me give you an instance; if your son and another person’s son were fighting and you arrived at the scene at the same time and without investigation, you pulled out your son and started scolding him that why should he be fighting, you expect the other parent to scold his own child or take him away.
“But when he leaves his own child and joins you in scolding your own, how will you react? That was the mistake that was made.
“It is good that leaders from all over the country have woken up and have seen the dangers in allowing these things to escalate and are reacting in a manner that we should all have reacted long ago.
“We should rather commend the leaders in the north for condemning the statement of the Arewa youths. If we had done this long ago, we should not have gotten to where we are.”
