From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Senator Shehu Sani has lambasted northern leaders who controlled the affairs of the country but failed to turn the northern region into socioeconomic paradise over the years.
Short of mentioning the names of such Northerners, the lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central in the Eighth Senate, described them as politicians who were excluded from the government of the day and are bent on inciting the masses against the government.
He said the North appreciated the progress made so far under President Bola Tinubu and urged the people to support him in 2027.
“For those of us from this part (North) of the country, we appreciate the progress made so far by this present government and for those of them who had the opportunity to do better and they failed, we tell them that it is better they apologise for the wrong they have done to the people of the North. And for the masses of the North, they should not allow themselves to be incited against the government that is doing far better than the one that came from their side, they should not be incited against the President who had supported our own for eight years in power. I have heard a lot of comments and remarks that are linked to tribal sentiments.
“But, let’s put it in a better perspective, the North West of the country has produced two Presidents since 1999. One was President Umar Musa Yar’Adua and the second was President Muhammadu Buhari. And in all these elections, the South West part of Nigeria had supported the North and never gave any serious challenge as long as the smooth running of President Buhari was concerned. So, it is only logical that we allow the South to complete their eight years in power for the peace, unity and for the survival of our democracy. And even if there should be another presidential candidate from the opposition, that candidate should be from the South West because that is equity, justice and that is fairness.
“Nigeria is not just a country, it is a country that came from horrible and terrible experiences as a nation. And we ought to learn from our past experiences in order not to repeat the same experience. So, I want to call on the people to caution the elements who had the opportunity to turn the North to a paradise but left it as a hell but today, such elements are crying foul for no reason other than that they have been excluded from the government. So, their grievances are about their own personal interests and not about the people, not about the North, not about the masses, not about insecurity and governance. However, everybody has the right to voice out his opinions but it shouldn’t be done in such a way to burn down the country.
“Under the last administration, all the security apparatus were of Northern extraction. They never stopped terrorism in the North. They never stopped banditry in the North West. They never stopped killings in Benue State, in Plateau and most part of North Central states. We need to be very factual about it. Most of the positions of authority and key positions in NDA today, are still held by Northerners. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a Northerner from Bauchi State that is heading it, the same thing with the Ministry of Health. The Minister of Defence and Minister of State for Defence are Northerners. The Minister of Transport is still a Northerner that is in power. The Minister of Environment is a Northerner. The Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of State for Agriculture are all Northerners. A ministry has been created for livestocks and is headed by a Northerner. The Minister of State for Work is a Northerner. The Chief of Defence Staff is a Northerner and for us in the Northern part of the country, we are very much glad, particularly, the people from Kaduna State.
“The insecurity in the North is not yet over. Bandits are still killing people. They are kidnapping people in Katsina State. They are still doing that in Zamfara State. There are major killings on the roads by bandits. But, if we are going to compare it to where we are coming from, I think things are better. The Chief of Defence has relatively been able to bring peace to the southern part of Kaduna, which was neglected and abandoned when former Governor Nasir El-rufai was in power. We know Birnin Gwari Road used to be road inaccessible because of banditry.
“Banditry happened every hour, not every day for eight years along Birnin Gwari Road. Now people can travel day and night. When was the last time you heard of an attack since the attack on Kuriga school? When was the last time you heard of an attack on any school in the state? So, for some of us, when you compare the government headed by someone who came from our own part of the country and the government headed by someone who is not from another part of the country, I think it is important for those of us from the North to appreciate the relative progress they have made.
“For those of us from Kaduna State, we are beneficiary of a medical centre and federal university in Southern Kaduna. There is increased funding for road projects from Kaduna to Abuja. We have seen many things that were brought in, and we only demand for more. But, my message is also to President Bola Tinubu that more should be done in terms of addressing challenges in Northern part of Nigeria, and critics should be listened to and where there are lies, it should be responded to. And this country will be great if there is development in all parts of Nigeria,” Sani said.