The Minorities Unity Movement (MUM) has issued a stern warning to the three major ethnic groups in the country, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo to stop taking them from granted and using their assumed numerical strength to intimidate them and threaten their future.
MUM expressed this in a statement signed by its founder, Jacob Onjewu Dickson, which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Kaduna on Thursday.
The movement frowned at statements and actions credited to some individuals from each of the major tribes of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, which are threatening the corporate existence of the country.
The statement expressed disgust over the actions that led to the provocation over the sit-at-home order carried out mostly in South Eastern Nigeria.
“We are worried that unhealthy and unfriendly rhetoric are emanating from our three big brothers; Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo.
” We are even more concerned that such unguarded utterances are coming at a time that Nigeria is suffering economic problems, which may result to provocations at slightest mistakes,” the statement said.
It further warned that should anything go wrong with the present arrangement in Nigeria, the minorities will suffer more, hence the need to unite now and fight to keep Nigeria as one, while appealing to Afenifere and other Yoruba groups to suspend any action it intends taking on June 12 to prevent heating up the polity.
“Right now, we are better off in this country because no individual group can oppress and dominate. If the country splits, only the majority would be reckoned with in each of the regions, a development we do not want to experience,” it added.
The group commended the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai for being a shining example by ordering for the prosecution after arrests of masterminds of the coalition that issued quit notice to Igbos.
“We also commend the Northern states governors’ forum, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Arewa Lawyers Forum for standing tall to be counted by condemning the evil call to expel Igbos from the North,” it added.
MUM boasted that if added, minorities have a population more than the three major languages combined.
It therefore, called on minorities all over the country to unite and stand against any move that would affect them negatively, using every legal option.
and then