RUGA: Ohanaeze Youth Warns Northern Coalition Over Ultimatum

Condemnation on Sunday continued to trail the ultimatum severed by a Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on the Federal Government to reverse itself on the suspension of the implantation of the controversial Ruga policy.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide on Sunday warned the CNG that its peaceful approach to issues of the nation should not be misconstrued to be weakness.

The Southern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) urged southerners to be vigilant, warning that the policy’s suspension might be decoy.

According to the youths, the CGN threat to sack Southerners resident in the North and if the government failed to establish Ruga before August 3 was a declaration of war against the south and southerners living in the North.

In a statement issued in Abakaliki by the President-General of the group, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Igbo group vowed to explore all peaceful avenues for protection to protect the lives and properties Igbo residents in the North.

It commended the Federal Government for suspending the RUGA settlement and urged the Northern youths to obey the suspension and stop issuing threat over it.

The Igbo youths accused their northern counterparts of promoting hate speech, which their said had been outlawed in the land.

The statement said: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth council worldwide congratulate the President Muhammadu Buhari for the suspension of the Ruga settlement program and the careful approach of the National Economic Council under Vice President Yemi Osibanjo and the Sub-Committee led by Governor David Umahi over the clarification of the controversial Ruga settlement programme, and the reintroduction of ‘National livestock Transformation Programme’ which has programmes of rehabilitation of displaced IDPs as a voluntary programme for any willing state to participate.

“We urge the CNG to direct northern governors to opt for the second option of ranching through this peaceful National livestock Transformation Programme rather than the Ruga settlement which was clearly rejected by the Southern Nigeria, especially the Southeast governors and the people.