By Godfrey Ofurum
The Igwebuike Alaigbo, a pan-Igbo development group, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to quickly end the massacre ongoing in Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt before anarchy takes over the entire country.
Rising from its emergency meeting in Aba, Abia State, Monday, the pro-Igbo development group said that the security situation in southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, where killer herdsmen have been killing people with reckless abandon, is unacceptable and must be stopped.
The group in a communique issued after the emergency meeting, read by Isaac Nwaobia, Archbishop of Aba Ecclesiastical Province, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion and leader of the group, called on governments of various levels not to allow the situation to escalate to the level where Nigerians will resort to self-defense.
鈥淥n behalf of Igwebuike Alaigbo, I stand here to say that we鈥檙e not happy about what鈥檚 happening and the situation in and around Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.
鈥淲e are not happy with some of the ugly situations we鈥檙e seeing now. A situation in which a whole family will be wiped out, a community will be wiped out, and people will invade a local government with no rescue or defense for the poor citizens there.
鈥淎 situation where attackers will go free and local vigilantes are arrested as culprits instead of victims.
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鈥淎 situation where heavily armed Fulani herdsmen will be treated as people with walking sticks because of where they came from.
鈥淎 situation where we are now almost refugees in our father鈥檚 land and running away from foreign invaders without rescue.
鈥淎 situation where our children cannot go to school again, because of insecurity, is unacceptable鈥, Nwaobia stated.
Igwebuike Alaigbo charged the Federal Government to do their primary duty of protecting the lives and property of Benue and Plateau people, because they are not just humans, but Nigerians that the government signed a social contract to protect.
鈥淔G should stop these situations in Benue and Plateau State now, because the people are massacred daily. There aren鈥檛 grasshoppers.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e humans, and they鈥檙e Nigerians. Let the Federal Government rescue the people of Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, because if they fail to do this, people will take laws into their hands to defend themselves, and we all know what that may look like when it starts.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be embarrassing. I鈥檓 sure nobody wants Nigeria to be a banana republic. Those in the National Assembly, wake up and do your jobs. Let the security agencies rise to the occasion and secure Nigerians because that鈥檚 their primary duty.鈥
The pan-Igbo development group further called for a paradigm shift in the educational sector, stressing that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which has to do with skill acquisition, should be made compulsory to arm youths with necessary skills for survival in the current world.
鈥淲e further advise and call for Technical and Vocational Education and Training to be made a priority for all our children, both boys and girls.
鈥淣o gender must be left behind over the other, because the girl child will get married to the boy child. All genders should actually be given adequate training.
鈥淟et the government make our education system skill-based. Apart from certificates, our children should be given the opportunity to gain necessary skills. The essence is that to survive today鈥檚 world, you need to have your certificate next to your skills.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important, so that whatever opportunity comes out, either of the two can qualify you for a job.
鈥淪kill acquisition must be made compulsory, because it鈥檚 necessary for the survival of our children in today鈥檚 world鈥, the group stated.