Former Governor of Niger State, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has said that some people are pitching the Hausa against the Fulani to destabilize the North.
Aliyu also stated that the stoppage of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is not the only problem facing the northern part of the country.
Babangida, who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, made this statement during a courtesy call on Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and his counterpart from Gombe, Inuwa Yahaya, at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office in Bauchi on Monday.
He raised the alarm that the northern part of Nigeria is at war with itself and is gradually disintegrating, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention to prevent total collapse.
“If you look around very well, there are some people who are busy running down the North. It is not only USAID that is our problem; there are those who are instigating the Hausa against the Fulani and other things. These are the issues we must urgently address before we are consumed.
“These segments of people are using every available divisive measure to further aggravate our poverty situation and perpetrate all forms of evil among our people.
“We must be very careful, do away with every materialistic tendency, unite our people, and make our region better and stronger,” he said.
Babangida eulogized Nigeria’s founding fathers, including the late Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, for bequeathing a legacy of unity in the North.
Also, Governor Mohammed, speaking on behalf of his Gombe counterpart advocated for more unity in the North.
Mohammed lamented the present situation in the region, attributing it to years of neglect and selfish aspirations, saying, “We are building on what we inherited, but it must change positively.
“We in the Northern States Governors’ Forum, under the leadership of the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, are doing our best to change the narrative positively.
“We are mapping out local solutions to the local problems of the region. There must be synergy between the national and subnational governments in order to reduce the negative conditions in the country.”
Mohammed assured that all 19 governors of the northern region would continue to strive to uphold the good legacies of past leaders, make the region great again, and keep hope alive.
