Written by Ogbuefi Blogs
Sunday, 11 March 2012 13:32
Another group of northern elites have just formed a new coalition to tackle multifaceted problems causing deaths and division in the region. Northern elders, including former President Ibrahim Babangida, former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and former Finance Minister, Malam Adamu Ciroma, held a meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja yesterday in a bid to save
the northern part of Nigeria from insecurity, poverty, disunity, youth unemployment, among others.
In Just one week, 3 Separate Northern groups held 3 separate meetings under the tag: "Northern Leaders".
On Their watch, the Nigerian Government failed...
But who are the real Northern leaders that are ready to transform the region without fighting for political power and the supremacy of centralized government? Who is really ready to bend down and clean some of the mess these same people have created? What is going to be the outcome and benefit of all these sudden meetings?
The governors of the 19 northern states met on Thursday in Kaduna and said they have resolved to deal decisively with the problem of insecurity posed by the militant Islamic sect, the Boko Haram in the region. The governors, who met at the General Hassan Usman Katsina State House, Kaduna, amid very tight security provided by all the security agencies, said though they were ready for dialogue “with moderate people”, they would no longer condone criminality in the region.
Two weeks ago another group, the Coalition of Concerned Northerners, convened by Kano politician and medical doctor, Dr Junaidu Mohammed, met in Abuja and set up committees, including one of peace in the North. Northern governors, including Alhaji Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Dr Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, and Alhaji Kashim Shettima of Borno State are among the long list of prominent persons from the North on the peace committee.
Interestingly, Dr Junaidu Mohammed speaking on behalf of this group termed Northern professionals later declared the North is ready for the break up of the country!
The latest gathering attended by Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Atiku Abubakar and Adamu Ciroma, which had also Malam Maitama Sule, Professor Ango Abdullahi, Senator John Waspam, AVM Al-Amin Daggash and many other prominent northern leaders in attendance, met under the aegis of the Arewa Citizens Action for Change (ACAC), which will serve as the secretariat for this fresh approach to tackle the multifaceted problems of the north.
Others at the meeting included a former president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mamman Nasir; former Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, General Paul Tarfa (rtd), Alhaji Sule Kantagum; a former Military Governor of North-Eastern State, General Abba Kyari; former Grand Khadi of Niger State, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu; Bello Kirfi; former Minister of Environment, Sani Zango Daura, among others.
Professor Ango Abdullahi, a former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was appointed as spokesman of the new group. Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting, he said one of the primary objectives of the new group is to bring about unity in the north and to tackle the problems of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, etc.
Ogbuefi Ndigbo asks: How can the same group of people who ruined the North be the same people to save it? I don't believe it's gonna happen. Please don't believe their hype. So, they knew the North is comatose, and now want to save it? Now, what do we call it? Death bed conversion, or shameful cynicism? what is their legacy, apart from the sad vices of extreme poverty, illiteracy and total hopelessness?
These are the same people that have cornered 80% of Nigeria's oil blocks while the north wallows in poverty.
Unknown to many, more than eighty percent of ownership of the nation’s oil reserves is in the hands of some influential northerners who acquired marginal fields, Oil Mining Licenses (OML) and Oil Prospecting Licenses (OPL). Curiously, such acquisitions were under the different military regimes of Generals Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), the late Sani Abacha as well as Nigeria’s last military leader, Abdusalami Abubakar.
In a previous analysis, I have attempted to show that 80% of crude oil and gas produced by indigenous companies is controlled by the Northerners. It is an area they have well conquered through General IBB, Abacha and Abdulsalami. However, the loots never get back home. The ordinary Northerner never benefits, they remain the poorest region in Nigeria!
According to available documents, most of those to whom the nation’s juicy oil reserves have been conceded are individually richer than some African oil-producers such as Ghana and Sudan.
The North through their aristocrats and ex-military rulers rake in more oil money (from the Niger Delta) individually than any Niger Delta state, and collectively more than twice the entire Niger Delta put together.
If Dr. Jinaidu & co. haven't started their peace initiative, this latest group of Arewa destroyers would not have come together. We pray for Allah's intervention, to recue us from the wrench grip of those enemies of our society. They can deceive us no more. Once bitten, twice shy they say!
I do not believe they are ever concerned about the plight of northerners. If they are, the region would not be in this quagmire. They may only indeed be concerned about how they could remain relevant, how they would be shielded from their past misdeeds against the North, and how they would continue to connive with their "'yan kudu" business associates to sustain the Northern enmasculation.
Their current efforts are 'Too little too late'. The game is over for them! They are just trying to look for relevance at all cost. Praying for atonement for their sins should be their 1st schedule in life now. How long shall these people take us for a ride?
Unfortunately, some people still believe them. I will never support any agenda piloted by these cream of Judases no matter how clean it is. They should rather support younger, more promising, more energetic and more patriotic, more sincere Northerners to clean the mess they landed us into.
An insider in yesterday’s meeting said that the meeting discussed various issues concerning the north and set up two committees that will produce a framework for the achievement of the group’s objectives.
He said, “The issue discussed centred on insecurity, essentially on how to bring an end to the Boko Haram crisis which has defied government’s strategies. Issues related to it and which were discussed include how to tackle poverty, youth unemployment, religious intolerance and the issue of how to bring the 19 northern states together to pursue one cause. The meeting noted that various groups had sprung up in various parts of the north, pursuing different objectives. This is not good for the region.”
Two committees were set up. One on how to unify the north is headed by Senator John Wash Pam, and the second on insecurity, poverty and youth restiveness will be chaired by Air Marshal Al-Amin Daggash, a former Chief of Defense Staff (CDS). Essentially, this committee is tasked with the responsibility of finding out how to tackle the seemingly intractable Boko Haram violence.
A member of the group, who pleaded not to be named because he’s not the spokesman of the organization revealed further that, “the committees set up have been asked to look into various reports that have been produced in various aspects of the problems of the north. They are also asked to reach out to various individuals and groups to find out the modalities for dealing with the problems. The committees have three weeks to submit its report, and on April 7, 2012, the group will meet on the next line of action. In between this period, there will be more meetings as wider consultations are ongoing to bring more people on board.”
The new group is prepared to work together with various youth groups in Northern Nigeria in the quest to tackle the instability in the region...but all na banza!
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