National Confab: Aliyu Alleges Plot To Divide North.

Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, has alleged that there was a grand design to disunite the north and ensure the zone does not present a common and united front on national issues.
He stated this yesterday at the formal commissioning of Liberty Radio in Kaduna.

The governor said that unless the north and northerners wake up, the zone will soon go extinct. He further expressed worry that Northerners were being used by external forces to divide the zone.

The governor said, “Today, I will disappoint many of you. Having come from this part of the world (the North), we honour and respect agreements and because of that, on September 15, the G7 governors and Mr. President agreed on a ceasefire; that no more public discussions of the problems that are at stake and I am not going to talk about them, because I have to honour the agreement.

“We have to respect the office of Mr. President; we have to respect the President. But I must say that the struggle of the G7 governors is noble. We have opened the door; the struggle is now for Nigerians.

“We must go beyond rhetorics and mobilise our people to understand the predicaments that we are in. We must go out to tell our people who are poor, who are waiting for any manna from heaven and waiting for people who have amassed wealth for the campaigns. If we don’t mobilise our people, they will be bought over. So, we must go back to our villages and hamlets to ensure that people appreciate and understand the role they have to play.

“If we (the North) don’t change our condition, we will become extinct. There is already an attempt to make sure that the north does not present a united cause and the unfortunate thing is that it is not outsiders that are being used to do that, it is the people within.

“When I received a delegation to withdraw what we are doing and that there is no North, then I said if there is no North, then there is no Niger State. If there is no Niger state, then there is no Minna and if there is no Minna, then there is no Babangida Aliyu.”

The governor called for the unity of the region, adding that if the North is not united, it will run into a bigger problem, stressing, “We need peace and unity in Nigeria especially in the northern states; we need honest, committed and dedicated leaders in Nigeria, especially in the northern states. Even though we had one Accidental Public servant who did very well, we don’t want accidental leaders. We need leaders who have been prepared and ready for the mantle of leadership.

“The Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation has been encouraged to set up a committee on behalf of Northern Governors to look and collate all issues and arguments that may come up for discussion at the National Conference. I believe each state will set up similar committees so that we can adopt some positions that may guide our delegates.”

Meanwhile, the governor also said an agreement has been reached between President Goodluck Jonathan and the G7 governors over the crisis rocking the ruling PDP.

Aliyu stated that central issue in the agreement is for both parties to cease from making public statements on the PDP crisis, Pointblanknews.com reports.