A former member of the Abia State House of Assembly, who represented Ohafia South State Constituency, Hon. Mba Ukaha, has warned Igbo living in the 19 northern states not to take issues concerning their security with levity.
Ukaha said this in an interview with our correspondent in Umuahia, following the withdrawal of the October 1, 2017 deadline earlier given to Igbo living in their states to quit by the Coalition of Arewa Youths.
He appealed to the Igbo in the North not to be persuaded by the assurances from both religious and political leaders of the Northern states about their safety to be off-guard.
The former lawmaker stressed that they must be on the alert and be mindful of their environment and movements in the northern states.
Ukaha described the various hate speeches and the anti-Igbo songs released by an unidentified artiste as unwarranted, adding that it posed serious danger to the lives and property of Igbo across the country.
Expressing worry about the development, the Peoples Democratic Party chieftain wondered whether those behind such hate speeches were aware that some northerners, too, lived in the South Eastern states of the country.
Be on the alert and mindful of your environment and movement
“I want to use this forum to let them know that there are northerners, who are living and going about their businesses here, without being molested by anybody for reason of their tribe or religion,” he noted.
Speaking further, Ukaha urged President Muhammadu Buhari to use the remaining period of his administration to focus on the change he promised the people during the electioneering campaigns to sustain the confidence the electorate reposed in
him.
Looking back at his tenure in the state assembly, the former lawmaker maintained that he used it to not only contribute to making quality laws for the governance of the state, but also to attract democracy dividends to his constituency.