{"id":9883,"date":"2016-07-08T04:42:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T04:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=9883"},"modified":"2016-07-08T04:51:11","modified_gmt":"2016-07-08T04:51:11","slug":"9883","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=9883","title":{"rendered":"One Nigeria is negotiable: MASSOB, Ijaw youths to Buhari"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><script src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\" async=\"\"><\/script><br \/>\n <!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<div>Two self-determination groups, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) <span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_564782781\"><span class=\"aQJ\">on Thursday<\/span><\/span> faulted President Muhammadu Buhari\u2019s position that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Buhari had <span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_564782782\"><span class=\"aQJ\">on Wednesday<\/span><\/span> pleaded with Niger Delta militants to \u201cgive Nigeria a chance\u201d, vowing to keep the country intact despite widespread ethnic and religious divisions that threaten unity.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The President, who spoke when members of the Federal Executive Council, Service Chiefs, the acting Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) paid him Sallah visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, had repeated former Head of state, General Gowon\u2019s \u2018to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done\u2019 comment and added that `one Nigeria\u2019 is not negotiable and the militants had better accept it.<\/div>\n<div>But MASSOB and IYC, in separate statements <span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_564782783\"><span class=\"aQJ\">on Thursday<\/span><\/span> had insisted that the country\u2019s unity is negotiable, with the former arguing that the President\u2019s view showed that he has not realized that a new trend of resolving such issues had taken over, while the latter said Nigeria as presently constituted would soon \u2018suffocate\u2019.<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<code><\/code><code><\/code><br \/>\n<code><\/code><\/div>\n<p><code><a href=\"http:\/\/marketing.net.jumia.com.ng\/ts\/i3556158\/tsc?amc=aff.jumia.44339.52450.53881&amp;tst=!!TIMESTAMP!!\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/marketing.net.jumia.com.ng\/ts\/i3556158\/tsv?amc=aff.jumia.44339.52450.53881&amp;tst=!!TIMESTAMP!!\" alt=\"NG-[C:G.Comp,B:Hp,Wk:2716,Dim:336X280]:Laptops\" width=\"336\" height=\"280\" border=\"0\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/code><\/p>\n<p><!-- END JUMIA --><\/p>\n<div>Reacting on the President\u2019s statement, MASSOB leader, Chief Uchenna Madu said the Movement totally disagreed with the President, describing his statement as an expression of somebody who still believed in old ways of doing things.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He said: \u201cThe President, in inner sense of reasoning, believes that he will easily crush Biafra, maybe with his intimidating tendencies over Igbo governors, National Assembly members, religious\/ opinion\/ political leaders.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cMASSOB views the President\u2019s constant negative comments on Biafra consciousness as a sign he is \u00a0jittery.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cAs every revolutionary struggle has its own methodology, the current Biafran struggle for actualization and restoration will continue to unfold confusing methods to the President.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe involvement of Niger Delta Avengers and other Niger Delta freedom fighters in the Biafra struggle will continue to hunt those opposed to the actualization of Biafra\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Madu said some of the decisions of the present administration in Nigeria were even assisting and justifying the struggle for the Biafra Republic, adding that the consciousness of Christians in the Southern part and Middle Belt of the country had been reawakened.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He boasted that no man can crush Biafra because, according to him, God, history and humanity were on the side of the agitators.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On their part, the the youths argued that as presently constituted, the country would soon \u2019suffocate\u2019, noting that the future of Nigeria should be thoroughly negotiated to avoid the consequences of a forced political marriage.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In a statement by the IYC\u2019s spokesman, Eric Omare, on Thursday, the youths maintained that such a comment coming from the President was \u201cold-fashioned\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The group opined that the approach being adopted by the President had never yielded the desired result for the country to excel.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>According to the youths, the unity of Nigeria is being suffocated under the present administration, which they argued had refused to embrace modern trends worldwide.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe circumstances of the present day Nigeria demand a renegotiation of the future unity and existence of Nigeria\u201d, the group noted.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The IYC explained that it believed that it was the general opinion of all ethnic nationalities in the country that Nigeria\u2019s unity was discussed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThis demand is not peculiar to the Niger Delta region but cuts across all parts of the country. For Nigeria to make progress President Buhari should dump his old fashioned approach to the unity of Nigeria and face the reality of the present day situation.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cNigerians want a renegotiated Nigeria that reflects a true federal state and allow people to grow at their own pace.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cNigeria as presently constituted is suffocating and the federating ethnic nationalities can no longer bear the suffocating effect of the defective structure which hampers the development of the country. It is in the interest of all Nigerians to renegotiate the future unity of Nigeria\u201d, the IYC held.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It added, \u201cThe Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide states that the statement by President Buhari to Niger Delta militants on Wednesday, June 6, 2016 that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable is an old-fashioned approach to the resolution of national problems.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThis is more so as President Buhari in making the said statement quoted former Head of State, General Gowon\u2019s comment in 1967 on the unity of Nigeria.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cNigerians want a country that is united on mutually agreed terms and not the present defective structure. The IYC calls on President Buhari to wake up and face the reality of the situation and stop relying on outdated notion of Nigeria\u2019s unity. Nigerians demand renegotiation\u201d, the group noted.<\/div>\n<div>But just as the Ijaw youths were berating Buhari over <span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_564782785\"><span class=\"aQJ\">Wednesday\u2019s<\/span><\/span> comment\u2019s, the Urhobo Monitoring and Development Group (UMDG), was expressing concerns over recent appointments by the President.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>National President of UMDG, an Urhobo pressure group, Prince Kingsley Oberuruaria, told journalists that Mr President\u2019s appointments were tilted to favour northerners and Muslims.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He maintained that such actions were capable of unnecessarily creating ethnic and regional tensions in the country.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Nigeria-map.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9844\">DAILY TIMES<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9844\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Nigeria-map-300x224.png\" alt=\"Nigeria map\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Nigeria-map-300x224.png 300w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Nigeria-map.png 654w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Alayo-2.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9619\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9619\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Alayo-2-300x250.jpg\" alt=\"Alayo 2\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Alayo-2-300x250.jpg 300w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Alayo-2.jpg 559w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\" async=\"\"><\/script><br \/>\n <!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n <ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\/\/ <![CDATA[\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two self-determination groups, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) on Thursday faulted President Muhammadu Buhari\u2019s position that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable. Buhari had on Wednesday pleaded with Niger Delta militants to \u201cgive Nigeria a chance\u201d, vowing to keep the country [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[358,296,2064,2062,1462,2277],"class_list":["post-9883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-biafra","tag-eric-omare","tag-iyc","tag-massob","tag-niger-delta-avengers","tag-uchenna-madu"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Nigeria-map.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s4oswh-9883","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9883"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9888,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9883\/revisions\/9888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}