By Sadiq Umar – The governor of Borno State and Chairman, Northern Governors Forum, Kashim Shettima on Wednesday met with some Northern elders and leaders of the Arewa youths coalition group to resolve matters in respect of the October 1 quit notice given to people of Igbo extraction living in the north.
The meeting which took place behind closed-door, began at about 2:30pm lasted till 6:30pm at the Borno Governor’s lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
A statement by spokesman to the governor, Isa Gusau said the meeting was at the instance of some norther governors to forestall possible attacks by hoodlums on Igbos at the expiration of the quit notice.
“The meeting, which is the third since July was at the instance of some Northern Governors who mandated Shettima to engage the coalition with a view to preventing possible outbreak of violence in the event hoodlums take advantage of quit notice to perpetuate violence by the time the ultimatum expires on October 1”.
“The meeting was attended by members of the Northern elders forum: Professor Ango Abdullahi, Alhaji Sani Zango Daura, Air Marshall Al-Amin Daggash, AVM Mukhtar Mohammed, Professor Yima Sen and Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed who represented the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.
The statement said, “Key leaders of the coalition of Arewa groups, Yerima Shettima, Ashir Sherrif, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, Aminu Adam, Balarabe Rufai and leaders of other groups in the coalition all attended.
“The meeting ended on positive note while the Arewa coalition is expected to meet members of the AbdulSalami Abubakar led National Peace Committee who invited them for a meeting” Gusau added.
Shettima and the elders also spoke extensively on serious problems bedevilling the northern Nigeria especially those concerning Boko Haram insurgency, backwardness in education resulting for high level of out of school children roaming as Almajiri.
The leaders offered far reaching suggestions which they requested Governor Shettima to convey to his colleagues in the northern Governors Forum.
Governor Shettima previously held three separate meetings with leaders of the Arewa coalition in Kaduna, Abuja and Maiduguri before Wednesday’s meeting that included elders.
The Arewa coalition is expected to make its decision public at a date to be determined by members of the coalition.
