Ohaneze, ACF Meet In Enugu

A delegation of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the
socio-cultural group from the north, last Wednesday met with its South East
counterpart, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, in Enugu to forge a relationship.

The meeting, which lasted for about three hours, was
attended by leaders of the two groups as well as prominent citizens from the
two areas.

A short communiqué from the meeting said the discussion
would continue after Ohaneze had studied the presentation made by the ACF,
adding that Ohaneze welcomed the idea of the meeting as it had opened a channel
of communication between the two groups.

In the presentation by Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, the Chairman
of the National Executive Council of ACF, the group said it had a duty to
dialogue with other socio-cultural groups “and search for solutions to the
major issues of concern to Nigeria’’.

The group regretted that the frequent outbreaks of conflicts
accompanied by violence in the north most often affected the Igbo in the area,
saying that such occurrences were usually misinterpreted.

“As a result, allegations have been made suggesting that
southerners, especially the Igbo, are deliberately marked out for attack.

“That is why ACF is under pains to re-assure Nigerians,
especially our brothers, the Igbo, that leaders of the north do not, and will
never condone violence, let alone those targeted at specific groups of
Nigerians.

“What is more, Igbo people promote the concept and spirit of
one nation through their settlement in larger numbers everywhere in Nigeria,’’
Mohammed said.

He said that issues of concern to Nigerians, for which there
were divided opinions between the north and south, were not as bad as
presented, if people could reason together.

In his address of welcome earlier, the President-General of
Ohaneze, Chief Ralph Uwechue, thanked the ACF for the visit and said that his
group was ready to dialogue with any other group.