An interface between the Coalition of Northern Groups and Leaders of the Igbo Community in Northern Nigeria has agreed to foster greater cooperation to ensure no region or ethnic group is marginalised in every sphere of nationhood in the future.
Speaking through a communique at the end of its meeting in Abuja on Saturday, the coalition said it would resist the temptation to live in perpetual blame of one section or another, one tribe or another, and one religious creed or another.
The coalition in the communique signed by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman and Comrade Auston O. Ifedinezi said the passing generations had failed Nigerians but assured that they would use the regional cooperation to ensure that the next generation is not failed.
It promised to work for an inclusive society that provides at least the most minimal of equal opportunities for all Nigerians.
The participants said they would resist the temptation to live in perpetual blame of one section or another, one tribe or another and one religious creed or another.
They also agreed to remain vigilant over the direction and fate of the country, saying that as major stakeholders in whatever happens in Nigeria, their position on how the nation operates must be informed by enhanced national unity and greater inter-regional cooperation.
The group further disagreed with the alleged role played by Nnamdi Kanu during the End SARS protests.
The meeting condemned in totality, the undue advantage taken by miscreants to turn the otherwise legitimate protests against SARS into mayhem in some parts of the country.
It also condemned all manifestations of insecurity everywhere in Nigeria and urged the government to live up to its responsibility of securing the lives and properties of all citizens.
It agreed to set up a consolidation committee to design a framework for the sustenance of the initiative and foster understanding for the political and economic future of the nation.
According to participants, “There is a need to work to build a nation where every Nigerian is safe and secure wherever he chooses to live and work in Nigeria.
”There is a need to support other Nigerians to benefit from mutual tolerance and accommodation if they show appropriate respect for the context of their livelihoods.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
