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| Prof. Ango Abdullahi |
The Northern Elders’ Forum, on
Friday, backed the call by the Coalition of Northern
Youth Groups for Igbo to leave the region within three months.
The Forum expressed “disappointment”
with the Northern Governors’ Forum for disowning the youth groups.
Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the NEF
spokesperson, told newsmen in Zaria on Friday that it was
hypocritical for the Igbo to continue to live in other parts of the
country while agitating for Nigeria’s break up.
Ango said, “I am disappointed in the
decision taken by Northern Governors’ Forum disowning and
condemning the agitation by this young, agile and progressive youth
groups.
“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 indications, their leaders —
including governors — are behind them.”
He added, “Whoever feels Nigeria is
not conducive for him, let him quit;” noting that what the northern
youth groups did was not a sin.
He lamented that none of the Northern
governors reacted to the persistent call for the actualisation of
Biafra and other agitations.
Abdullahi said when Nnamdi Kanu was
released on bail recently, over 100 vehicles escorted him to his
residence, including big personalities from the south-west and
south-east.
“This is somebody who has been
agitating for the break-up of Nigeria; but his people were behind
him. Therefore, I am behind the (Northern) youths.
“This is because the Northern youths
are pushed to the wall. We have been calming them down in any event
similar to this,” he noted.
Speaking specifically on the Igbo, Ango
said the people from the South were always pretending that people
from the North were cheating them.
“These people 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 got financial support from the Northern region,”
he said.
He recalled that the tradition had
remained during the colonial period and nothing changed after the
colonial masters left the country.
Ango said it was the same money from
the North that was used to construct Nigerian railways, refineries
and other facilities.
“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 toward ensuring the unity and
corporate existence of Nigeria.
“They always look down on us, feeling
that Northerners are parasites in this country,” he said.
*Courtesy Punch
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