- Says North must support South West in 2027 to complete eight years in power
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Senator who represented Kaduna Central zone at the 8th Senate, Shehu Sani, has lambasted leaders of Northern extraction who controlled the affairs of the country but failed to turn the Northern region into a socio-economic paradise over the years.
Senator Sani, who refrained from naming names of such Northerners, described them as politicians excluded from the government of the day and bent on inciting the masses against the government.
However, the former lawmaker, while addressing the press on Monday at his Kaduna residence, said the North appreciated the progress made so far under President Bola Tinubu and urged the people to support the President in the 2027 elections.
“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 failed, we tell them that they should 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 a 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 Northwest of the country has produced two Presidents since 1999. One was President Umaru 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 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 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 into a paradise but left it as a hell; today, such elements are crying foul for no reason other than that they have been excluded from government. So their grievance is 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 their opinions, but it shouldn’t be done in such a way as 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 Northwest, they never stopped killings in Benue State, in Plateau, and most parts of North Central states. We need to be very factual about it. Most of the positions of authority in the NDA today, key positions, are still held by Northerners. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headed by a Northerner from Bauchi State; the same with the Ministry of Health. The Minister of Defence and Minister of State for Defence are Northerners; the Minister of Transport is a Northerner; the Minister of Environment is a Northerner; the Minister of Agriculture and Minister of State for Agriculture are all Northerners; a Ministry has been created for Livestock and is headed by a Northerner; the Minister of State for Works is a Northerner; the Chief of Defence Staff is a Northerner; and for us in the Northern part of the country, we are very 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 Governor Nasir El-Rufai was in power. We know the Birnin Gwari road; it used to be a road that was inaccessible because of banditry.
“Banditry happened every hour, not every day, for eight years along the Birnin Gwari road. Now people can travel day and night. When last did you hear of an attack since the attack on Kuriga school? When last did you hear of an attack on any school in the state? So for those 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 our own 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 beneficiaries 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 more. But my message is also to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that more should be done in terms of addressing challenges in the Northern part of Nigeria, and critics should be listened to, and where there are lies, they should be responded to. And this country will be great if there is development in all parts of Nigeria,” Shehu Sani said.