The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) has expressed total disappointment in governors from the region for criticising members of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), who called on Igbo in the region to leave before October 1 or be forced out.

Speaking on Friday while addressing journalists in Zaria, Kaduna State, Ango Abdullahi, spokesman of the group, claimed that the resources of the north had been used in the past to develop the south.

He said the governors ought to have stood behind the youths from the region just as the south-eastern governors supported their youths.

Abdullahi noted that the Igbo people cannot be agitating for secession and yet they continue to live in other parts of the country.

“I am disappointed in the decision taken by northern governors’ forum disowning and condemning the agitation by this young agile and progressive youth groups,” he said.

“Let me ask these northern governors, who are they representing? Are they representing spirits, ghosts or people of the north?

“Recently, people from eastern part of this country, specifically Igbo, were busy calling for the sovereign state of Biafra and from all indication their leaders, including governors, are behind them.”

He added that anybody that was no longer comfortable in Nigeria should quit, as the ultimatum by the Arewa youths was “not a sin”.

Abdullahi said that when Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Independent People of Biafra, IPOB, was granted bail, he was escorted home by a motorcade of more than 100 vehicles, including big personalities from the south-west and south-east.

“This is somebody who has been agitating for the breakup of Nigeria but his people were behind him, therefore I am behind the youths,” he said.

“This is because the northern youths are pushed to the wall; we have been calming them down in any event similar to this.

“These people (southerners) always pretend that the north is cheating them, not minding the fact that southern Nigeria was developed by resources from the north.

“Please, look for a book written by Adamu FiKa, the Waziri of Fika, on Nigeria’s budget before and after independence.

“Each year, up to the time Nigeria gained its independence, none of the two regions was able to provide for itself. I mean none of the western and eastern regions had the money to effectively run the affairs of its region until they get financial support from the Northern region.

“First oil exploration was conducted using money from groundnut pyramid, cotton, hide and skin among other cash crops from northern Nigeria.

“However, these people tend to forget all these goodies provided by the north towards ensuring the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria. They always look down on us, feeling that northerners are parasites in this country.”