North, Middle Belt groups disagree on break up
Friday Olokor
1 June 2021
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Chief Ayo Adebanjo

Tempers rose on Monday among participants at the ‘Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Transition Inter-Ethnic Peace Dialogue’ organised by Youths Off The Street Initiative when the Middle Belt Forum said it would not go with the North should Nigeria break up.

The event, with the theme, ‘Restructuring and 2023 power shift: Nigeria’s make or break factor for political survival’, and convened by the President of YOTSI, Kennedy Iyere, was attended by leaders of ethnic nationalities including the leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; President, Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr Kunle Olajide, and President of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, Jonathan Asake.

Others were a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko; former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife; President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr George Obiozor; convener, National Consultative Front and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba; and a political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi.

The leadership of the major socio-cultural groups from the Southern and Middle Belt of the country at the event adopted a common position demanding an emergency national conference that would lead to the emergence of a new constitution and restructuring of Nigeria.

They said it was possible to reverse the current challenges facing the country and prevent Nigeria from breaking up if the Federal Government listened to the recommendations they were putting forward.

But tension mounted when the leader of the Northern Consensus Initiative, Dr Awal Abdullahi, said the North was no longer opposed to a break-up of the country.

He said, “The North, before now, was saying ‘we don’t believe in separation’; but as I’m standing, I’m telling you that if there is going to be separation tomorrow, the North is ready for it. We are also ready, let’s go our different ways and I am telling you this with all sincerity.

“Northern Nigeria, before now, did not want to hear anything separation; but as at today, as I speak to you, the North is equally ready. What I am saying might be controversial, but I am speaking the minds of Northerners and I have no apology to anyone in this hall. Although I respect the leaders and elders here, I have no apology to anybody on what I say.”

However, the confusion generated by his statement had hardly died down when another speaker, the President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Pogu Bitrus, mounted the rostrum to respond to Abdullahi’s position.

According to him, the Middle Belt would not pull out of the country with the core North.

He said, “So if my brother says the North is going, be sure the Middle Belt is not going with you; you are on your own. We have served and sacrificed for this country. The (civil) war that occurred, the Middle-Belt was used to fight while the North sat back to enjoy.”

Bitrus said the Middle Belt adopted the proposal of Afenifere and Ohaneze as a common position that would save the country.

Adebanjo, while presenting the position of the Yoruba, which was also adopted by the Ohaneze and MBF, said the process for a genuine consensus on an acceptable national constitution should begin with the production of position documents by all nationalities between now and December.

He said going forward, Nigerians should be allowed to exercise their rights and sovereignty on how they wanted to live together under mutually beneficial terms.

The nonagenarian said the various regions in the country should be allowed to choose the type of government they wanted to adopt within their area under a truly federal structure which would guarantee some measure of autonomy and control over resources and policing of the

https://punchng.com/north-middle-belt-groups-disagree-on-break-up/?amp

There is more chance of the Middle belt going with the West that the far North.

I perceive the real marginalization

They can join either SW or SS/SE

No body want to associate with the deadliest North

Nobody wants North.
Meanwhile, they can form their own republic.
Which means, four republics are gonna break away from the zoo
Biafra
Oduduwa
NDR
MBR

We are getting to the consensus.

Thank you Buhari

He said, “So if my brother says the North is going, be sure the Middle Belt is not going with you; you are on your own. We have served and sacrificed for this country. The (civil) war that occurred, the Middle-Belt was used to fight while the North sat back to enjoy.”

Yet the Islamic Republic of Northern Nigeria threaten war every time the issue of self determination is mention even they never fought the war.

E shock aboki

East has no representative there cos everyone in the east want BIAFRA Nation. Yesterday proved it to everyone even the ISIS caliphate brought is still in shoke

When you remove Middle Belt from the fraudulent North and Arewa forum, the core North becomes naked, like stark naked with no pride..

They have taken the Middle Beltans for a ride for so long that they feel they hold destiny of all other regions in their hand. I'm glad Middle Belt, the food basket of the entire nation are gradually waking up.

I align with the position of Afenifere and others with similar views.

Pls dont take these people serious, they are the most unstable people in this country

We it comes to politics they will happily allign with the north

Who is the ACF chairman?....is he not from Benue?

I align with the position of Afenifere and others with similar views.[color=#000099][/color]

I fully support the stand of Afenifere and others with similar views!

Afenifere and others are in order!

Sharing the same country with Arewa-North is a Curse and anathema. We have NOTHING in common with them.
Total disintegration of Nigeria remains the ONLY way to save millions of Middle Beltan lives from Islamic terrorism.
I'm a Middle Belter and I stand by TOTAL DISINTEGRATION! I want my children and their future generations to prosper and grow in an environment free of Terrorism ethnic genocidal wickedness.

People like to eat their cakes and still have them.
So suddenly, you just realised that you shouldn't be aligning with the north, after how many years of deceit?
You must go with the north whether you like it or not. You are an ally of northern Nigeria and allies stick together.

saaron:
Sharing the same country with Arewa-North is a Curse and anathema. We have NOTHING in common with them.
Total disintegration of Nigeria remains the ONLY way to save millions of Middle Beltan lives from Islamic terrorism.
I'm a Middle Belter and I stand by TOTAL DISINTEGRATION! I want my children and their future generations to prosper and grow in an environment free of Terrorism ethnic genocidal wickedness.

You sound like an IPOB. A middle belter cannot write this type of complex English.

middlebelt can not go with the north ooo

Continue saying you don't support breakup. It is really funny that only Igbos can dare to separate from one dead Nigeria. Just amazing. Every other persons appears to be unity beggars, safe for the small pocket of people wanting Oduduwa republic.

There business.
No peace for the wicked.

Christistruth00:



There is more chance of the Middle belt going with the West that the far North.

Igboho is storming Ekiti on June 5 for Yoruba nation rally.

Odua a gbe wa o.

M

Middle belt in its entirety is more than enough to form a republic should this shit hole break up unless they decided to join one of the two giants in th south

Nobody can bully them. As in they the largest region by land mass self.

Remove middle belt from that backward north and they will be stark naked sharp sharp. Dem no get anything except to suck blood

Hausa/Fulani, you are OYO this time

Lest i forget, proudly Yoruba

please call out middle belt states and see how many you think will not go north

..

see the way fulanis are slashing their women and children and invading their land and you expect them to go with north na sucide bi that na,middle belt wanted their own country since,a man called j s tarka wanted it but fulanis played him and gave him an appointment in government and then made a tiv man chief of staff in the army during the genocidal war and tiv supplied largest number of men that came to igbo land and died there,igbos have natural allies now,watch nigeria crumble,nigeria is on extra time

Then join in the quest for freedom.
Its Now!