Nigerians
of my generation, why can't we start thinking along this postulation by
His Royal Highness SLS......as I copied below::::::::::
aerial view of the city of Lagos,Nigeria
Just to learn from Emir Sanusi
Please
read to d end...... The former Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi, surprised guests present at the Muson Centre for the launching
of the book of Sir Olaniwun Ajayi.
Below is his unedited speech.
“Let
me start by saying that I am Fulani (laughter). My grandfather was an
Emir and therefore I represent all that has been talked about this
afternoon. Sir Ajayi has written a book. And like all Nigerians of his
generation, he has written in the language of his generation.
“My
grandfather was a Northerner, I am a Nigerian. The problem with this
country is that in 2009, we speak in the language of 1953. Sir Olaniwun
can be forgiven for the way he spoke, but I cannot forgive people of my
generation speaking in that language.
“Let
us go into this issue because there are so many myths that are being
bandied around. Before colonialism, there was nothing like Northern
Nigeria, Before the Sokoto Jihad, there was nothing like the Sokoto
caliphate. The man from Kano regard himself as bakane. The man from
Zaria was bazazzage. The man from Katsina was bakatsine. The kingdoms
were at war with each other. They were Hausas, they were Muslims, they
were killing each other.
“The
Yoruba were Ijebu, Owo, Ijesha, Akoko, Egba. When did they become one?
When did the North become one? You have the Sokoto Caliphate that
brought every person from Adamawa to Sokoto and said it is one kingdom.
They now
said it was a Muslim North.
“The
Colonialists came, put that together and said it is now called the
Northern Nigeria. Do you know what happened? Our grand fathers were able
to transform to being Northerners. We have not been able to transform
to being Nigerians. The fault is ours.
Tell
me, how many governors has South West produced after Awolowo that are
role models of leadership? How many governors has the East produced like
Nnamdi Azikiwe that can be role models of leadership? How Many
governors in the Niger Delta are role models of leadership? Tell me.
There is no evidence statistically that any part of this country has
produced good leaders.
You
talk about Babangida and the economy. Who were the people in charge of
the economy during Babangida era? Olu Falae, Kalu Idika Kalu. What state
are they from in the North?
“We
started the banking reform; the first thing I heard was that in Urobo
land, that there will be a curse of the ancestors. I said they
(ancestors) would not answer. They said why? I said how many factories
did Ibru build in Urobo land? So, why will the ancestors of the Urobo
people support her?
“We
talk ethnicity when it pleases us. It is hypocrisy. You said elections
were rigged in 1999, Obasanjo and Maurice Iwu rigged election in 2007.
Was it a Southern thing? It was not. “The problem is: everywhere in this
country, there is one Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba and Itshekiri man whose
concern is how to get his hands on the pile and how much he can steal.
Whether
it is in the military or in the civilian government, they sit down,
they eat together. In fact, the constitution says there must be a
minister from every state.
“So,
anybody that is still preaching that the problem of Nigeria is Yoruba
or Hausa or Fulani, he does not love Nigeria . The problem with Nigeria
is that a group of people from each and every ethnic tribe is very
selfish. The poverty that is found in Maiduguri is even worse than any
poverty that you find in any part of the South.
The
British came for 60 years and Sir Ajayi talked about few numbers of
graduates in the North (two at independence) . What he did not say was
that there was a documented policy of the British when they came that
the Northerner should not be educated. It was documented. It was British
colonial policy. I have the document. I have published articles on it.
That if you educate the Northerner you will produce progressive Muslim
intellectuals of the type we have in Egypt and India. So, do not educate
them. It was documented. And you say they love us (North).
“I
have spent the better part of my life to fight and Dr. (Reuben) Abati
knows me. Yes, my grandfather was an Emir. Why was I in the
pro-democracy movement fighting for June 12? Is (Moshood) Abiola from
Kano ? Why am I a founding director of the Kudirat Initiative for
Nigerian Development (KIND)?
“There
are good Yoruba people, good Igbo people, good Fulani people, good
Nigerians and there are bad people everywhere. That is the truth. “Stop
talking about dividing Nigeria because we are not the most populous
country
in
the world. We have all the resources that make it easy to make one
united great Nigeria. It is better if we are united than to divide it.
“Every
time you talk about division, when you restructure, do you know what
will happen? In Delta Area, the people in Warri will say Agbor, you
don’t have oil. When was the Niger Delta constructed as a political
entity? Ten years ago, the Itshekiris were fighting the Urobos. Isn’t
that what was happening? Now they have become Niger Delta because they
have found oil. After, it will be, if you do not have oil in your
village then you cannot share our resources.
“There
is no country in the world where resources are found in everybody’s
hamlet. But people have leaders and they said if you have this geography
and if we are one state, then we have a responsibility for making sure
that the people who belong to this country have a good nature.
“So,
why don’t you talk about; we don’t have infrastructure, we don’t have
education, we don’t have health. We are still talking about Fulani. Is
it the Fulani cattle rearer or is anybody saying there is no poverty
among the Fulani?”, he said.
This is a great message to our generation......
DR DAYO KAYODE IS PRESIDENT OF IMOLE ODUDUWA
No comments:
Post a Comment