Northern Nigeria Funded Building Of Refineries, Education Of Notable People Southerners Boast Of— Regional Group Leader
The leader of the Northern Consensus Movement, Dr Awaal Abdullahi has said proceeds from the early economic boom of Northern Nigeria mainly from groundnut and cotton were used to build refineries that Southern Nigeria boasts about.
He also said the early educational achievements of some notable figures from Southern Nigeria were made via the Northern economy, adding that the North is the economic heart of Nigeria.
Oil Refinery
The Northern group leader, however, also called for a northern version of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to be funded by the Nigerian government.
Abdullahi said this at a conference held on Saturday in Abuja, the nation’s capital while addressing the debate about whether Nigeria should disintegrate or not.
“Today, we are declaring that we the Northerners are the economic heart of Nigeria. And no nobody can address us as parasites. The oil that is so being boasted of today was discovered, harnessed and the refineries were constructed with Northern Nigerian sweat with the Northern Nigerian economy, with the Northern Nigerian money.
“The money of groundnut pyramid and cotton were the ones used to research, discover and build refineries that some other parts of Nigeria have claimed to be their own personal property.
"If that be the case, we also deserve just like NDDC and Niger Delta Ministry, that there should be Northern Development Ministry that should also be given the same amount of money given to NDDC because our money was used to develop the oil. That’s number one.
"Number two, those that got early education in the South-South, South West and South-East got those from our own economy, from the Northern money of our own sweat,” Abdullahi said.
He went further to say that the North had also discovered huge deposits of oil along Lake Chad Basin and gold in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State as well as in Zamfara respectively, claiming the gold deposit is larger than what South Africa and Ghana jointly have.
While maintaining that the North still wants a united Nigeria, he added that if there should be disintegration, the North is adequately prepared for it and should not be seen as a parasite.
“And by the grace of God today, Northern Nigeria also has discovered oil along Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba, along Lake Chad Basin and that was why those people have been instigating Boko Haram so that there will be no peace in that region for us to harness the oil and other wealth discovered in that area.
“We also have a deposit of gold in Birnin Gwari that is more than the deposit of gold in South Africa and Ghana, and that’s why we are having banditry in Birnin Gwari axis so that we will not be able to harness it. The same goes for Zamfara, that’s why we are having banditry within that axis. So we are saying enough is enough.
“If we will continue to co-exist in Nigeria, as Nigerians, the Northerners are ready to do that and that’s why we have been accommodating. Today, the number of our people that are being killed and properties destroyed in South-South, South-West and South-East is more than those in Kano and Kaduna.
“The number of Yoruba and Igbo residents In Kano and Kaduna alone are far greater than the entire investment of entire Northerners living in South-South, South-West and South-East, if you remove BUA and Dangote; those are international businesses.
“So, if you will continue to destroy the lives and investments of our pople resident in your area, what if we decide to retaliate what you are doing? Who is going to be the loser? How much of investment do we have in the east? All our people in the east are either tomato sellers, truck pushers, okada riders (commercial motorcyclists), suya makers, shoe shines (cobblers), fingernail cutters. Those are the Northerners resident in Southern Nigeria.
“But if you go to Kaduna, Kano and other parts of Northern Nigeria, an Igbo man owns a personal house with C of O, he owns a skyrocket house that he even rents out to Northerners themselves. You go to a remote village, you find out he is having a farm of his own, his personal farmland. You don’t have a Northerner that owns a house in Southern Nigeria.
“We are saying we are ready to co-exist with Nigerians, but if otherwise and things will continue like this, we are going to separate from Nigeria. In fact, we are more than ready,” Abdulahi added.
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