Aliyu The North picked up the gauntlet yesterday and declared it is now poised for the restructuring of Nigeria in the face of what it called identified threats confronting the region.
The region’s who is who in politics, academia and media at a meeting in Abuja expressed hope that the lopsidedness in the polity “will be a key issue.”
The Coalition of Concerned Northerners meeting came against the background of the call for the review of the present revenue sharing formula by the governors of the 19 northern states; the recent agitation by South West governors and other stakeholders for Sovereign National Conference (SNC); and the state of insecurity in the country.
Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum,Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, speaking at the inauguration of the Advisory Council of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Abuja on Thursday, described as unfair a situation where his state (Niger) would be receiving a monthly allocation of between N4.2 billion and N4.5 billion while some others would be getting about 20 times of that; a veiled reference to the 13 per cent derivation paid to oil producing states.
This, he said, was responsible for the wide gap in development between the North and the South.
He was echoing a statement made by the Central Bank Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi last month, in an interview with the Financial Times of London.
Sanusi, in the interview, linked the prevailing poverty in the North and the violence being perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect to uneven distribution of the nation’s wealth.
In a communique at the end of yesterday’s meeting, the Northern leaders, among whom were two serving governors, a former Senate President, a former deputy Senate president and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, expressed concern over the activities of Boko Haram, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) and the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
The communique reads: “A coalition of Northern politicians, academics, professionals and businessmen met yesterday (Thursday) at Asokoro in Abuja to deliberate on matters of serious concern to the Northern States of Nigeria and their peoples.
“In the course of the meting, the Northern Group reflected on the deteriorating security situation in the region, particularly with regards to the growth and spread of attacks and impunity by the Boko Haram insurgents and other ethnic and religious militias in the North.
‘’In addition, the meeting dwelled on the threats posed by the resurgent activities of Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), other Niger Delta militant groups, Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). In addition, the meeting dwelled on the threats and recent calls by groups for a Sovereign National Conference.
“The meeting reflected on the elements that bond the Northerners and their cultures together, irrespective of ethnicity and religion over many years at their association, and expressed their sadness that the basis of unity of the region has of recent come under a serious assault. The meeting noted the positive fallouts of the recent nationwide strike, in the course of which the ordinary people of the North and of the rest of the country manifested a refreshing desire to support and protect one another against the clear evidence of orchestrated designs to polarise and keep the people apart.
“The meeting also received the shocking details of the several excesses of the JTF (Joint Task Force) which amounted to no less than gross human rights abuses. The meeting expressed the view that the threat posed by Boko Haram insurgency could best be attended to without the attendant attacks on individual rights and on businesses.
“The meeting resolved to support the calls for the restructuring of the Nigerian Federation in the hope that the lopsidedness in the structure of the nation’s politics and economy will be a key agenda issue.
“It then called on the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) to liaise with other stakeholders in the North, such as the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Union (NU), Jama’atul Nasirl Islam (JNI), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), women, youth and student bodies and other groups to join hands together to tackle the identified threats confronting the region.
“Among those who attended the meeting were the governors of Niger and Jigawa states, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, OON, CON and Alhaji Sule Lamido, CON; the convener of the meeting, Dr. Junaidu Muhammed; a former Senate President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu; a former Deputy Senate President, Dr. John Wash-Pam, CON; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, CFR; former ministers, such as, Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri and Mallam Lawal Batagarawa; and a former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council, Prof. Nur Alkali.
“Others were a former Chairman of Langtang South Local Government Council, Mr. Solomon Dalung; former Presidential Legal Advisers, Ibrahim Ismail and Prof. Awwal Yadudu; as well as newspaper publishers, including Sam Nda-Isaiah and Mohammed Haruna.
The rest included university vice chancellors, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, Prof. Risqua Arabu; businessmen such as the Chairman of Mainstreet Bank, Alhaji Falalu Bello; a former Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, Engr. Hamman Tukur; a former Solicitor-General of the Federation, Prof. Ignatius Ayua; Prof. David Iyornem; Alhaji Dahiru Mohammed and two former managing directors of New Nigeria Newspapers.
“Others included the first female editor of New Nigeria, Mrs. Bilkisu Bintube; another female editor from Trust Newspapers, Mrs. Aisha Kabiru Yusuf; Dr. Bashir Kurfi of Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU, Zaria) and Timaus Mathias, a veteran journalist.
“Also present were Mr. David Garnva, former President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Mallam Abba Gana, former Deputy Director of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Alhaji Shehu Kaikai, Sanusi Abubakar, Garba Shehu, Mr. Simon Gunkat, Mallam Adamu Yakubu, Barr. Zannah Mustapaha, Mallam Sambo Ingawa, Kalli Ghazali, Abubakar Michika and Prof. Abubakar Mustapha.
It was signed by Second Republic member of the House of Representatives,Dr. Junaid Muhammed, the convener.
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