Echioda, who condemned the call for the Igbo to leave the North, stressed that God called all people to live as one, irrespective of ethnic or social background.
“There is a lot that the Christians can do, because what is happening to one is happening to all . We will keep on political pressure on the government, lawmakers and the executive to ensure that they ensure the quit notice does not see the light of the day. Let the Igbos are assured of their protection.
He enjoined leaders across various sectors, as well as stakeholders, among others to condemn the call, and encouraged the Igbo to know that the Christian community and its leadership in the state were solidly behind them.
“As a Northerner too, and as one who has been to Igboland and other lands too, and as a person who has gained from the Igbo environment, having friends from that extraction, I want to plead with the Igbo make their grievances and observations known through the appropriate channel.
“I want them to feel at home, go about their normal businesses,” Echioda said.
In a related development, the Registrar, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Abraham Ndana Yisa, has urged the Federal Government to enlist the support of some top traditional rulers in the North to douse the tension generated in the north by the recent quit notice given to the Igbo resident in the North.
He made the call in Minna, during an interview with the TribuneChurch, pointing out that as Christians and patriotic citizens, this was what was expected, not only from the traditional rulers, but also from political leaders.
Yisa, who is also the principal partner, Summit Law Firm in Minna, said nobody had the right to give another Nigerian quit notice in this country.
“Just as we have the Igbo in the North, there are also northerners within Igboland. We cannot afford another civil war in Nigeria because nobody has gone through that twice within a century and survived,” he stated.
He commended the Christian community for the steps taken, stating that “We are fasting and praying for our leaders and for our nation. We need prayers; we need God’s intervention.”
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