The Supreme Council of Southern Nigerian Youths Leaders has issued a strong call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the immediate and unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
In a communiqué issued at the conclusion of their three-day Inaugural Strategic Meeting in Onitsha, Anambra State, the youth leaders also urged the Federal Government to establish a Special National Ethnic Communities Peace and Development Commission to address long-standing grievances across various ethnic groups in Nigeria.
They stressed the need for the Tinubu-led administration to urgently address rising insecurity in the southern region, warning that the South has “had enough” and would no longer tolerate the persistent threats to its safety and development.
According to the group, “While we call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the establishment of Special National Ethnic Communities Peace and Development Commission, and tackling the escalating issues of insecurity within Southern Nigeria headlong, we unanimously reiterate our commitment to the unity of Nigeria without compromise.”
Mr. Arthur Obiora, President of the Supreme Council of Southern Nigerian Youths Leaders, made the remarks during a press briefing.
Surrounded by youth leaders from all 17 Southern states, Obiora said the meeting was a deliberate effort to build a strong, unified platform among Southern Nigerian youths.
The gathering, he added, marks the beginning of a broader consciousness and mobilization to demand policy reforms, infrastructure development, and increased investment in human capital across the South.
The group highlighted the ongoing ethnic, religious, and political divisions among southern youths, noting that real progress will remain elusive without deliberate efforts to bridge those gaps.
“We observe in the light of our extensive deliberations, retrospection and consultations with key stakeholders within Southern Nigeria, that the youth within our region have remained divided along ethnic, religious and party lines, and unless concerted effort is made to mitigate such divides, there won’t be meaningful region-based progress,” the statement noted.
They emphasized the need for a unified youth front, citing the vast contributions of young people to the Southern region’s population and workforce.
“The unity of Southern Nigeria youths has become paramount and imperative in order to speak with one voice to get rid of the penchant for government at all levels in Southern Nigeria to scheming the youths and their leaders out of the value equation.”
“The youths constitute over sixty per cent of the entire population of Southern Nigeria, and also provide over seventy per cent workforce of the region, therefore, the government of President Tinubu should provide a rare opportunity for strategic integration of the youths into the scheme of things within the polity.”
The council further expressed a willingness to work with Southern political leaders to foster regional unity and development.
“We believe that for the Nigerian Federation to thrive politically, economically and otherwise, equity and fairness should be strictly encouraged. We also resolve to strategically partner with all political leaders within Southern Nigeria to foster regional cohesion.”
Despite their demands, the youth group affirmed its support for President Tinubu’s administration.
“Southern Nigerian youths have resolved to continue to support the present administration of the Federal Government, led by His Excellency, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, as constitutionally mandated.”
In conclusion, the council called on all youth-led organizations across the South to join forces under its umbrella for a unified and impactful regional voice.
“We call on the youth-based organisations within Southern Nigeria, to, as a matter of regional urgency, partner with the Supreme Council of Southern Nigerian Youths Leaders, in order to raise a strong voice for the region and the youth in particular.”
