Asking Igbos to quit northern Nigeria is ‘high level of insult’ – Akwa Ibom Speaker

The Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, has described as a “high level of insult” against every Nigerian, the ultimatum by the Arewa youth that the Igbo should quit northern Nigeria before October 1.

Mr. Luke, who is also the vice chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in the South-south zone of the country, said Nigeria had passed the stage where people could continue to hold on to tribal differences.
He challenged northern leaders to rise up and condemn the action of their youth.
“If we have been preaching unity, if we have contributed our quota in this part of the region to build infrastructure in the entire country, the North inclusive, we take it as high level of insult on our collective sensibilities for anyone to call on fellow Nigerians to vacate their region,” Mr. Luke said Thursday while receiving a delegation from a socio-political group, ‘1 for 8 Initiative’, which visited him in his office in Uyo.
The speaker said, “We all have only one country called Nigeria. And we will work assiduously for the unity, love, progress, prosperity, and peace of this country”.
Mr. Luke is a former speaker of the Nigeria Youth Parliament.

Culled from Premium Times