By Charles Igbo
“If we decide to retaliate, who will be the loser? If we remove BUA and Dangote who are international Businessmen, what do we have in the South? How much investment do we have in the East? We are passing a word of warning because a word is enough for the wise. We have done it in the past. We shall do it again”
A Northern Group, which goes by the name Northern Consensus Movement, NCM, is angry with the South. It’s anger has boiled over. And, it is not only laying its cards on the table, it is calling the bluff of the South. And it is given ultimatums, else, the North would embark on a revenge mission. “We have done it before, and we shall do it again,” it boasts.
The Group is not joking. It says that for everything the South claims it has, or achieved, especially, both in infrastructure and education, is the sweat of the North.
At a Press Conference addressed by its leaders, the group declared: “The oil that we enjoy today was harnessed, the refineries were constructed by the Northern Nigeria’s sweat, the Northern Nigeria economy and money.
The money of groundnut pyramid and cotton. The one that was used to research, discover and build the economy that are in other parts of Nigeria, that some people are claiming to be part of their personal properties.”
The Group is also asking for a Commission in the North, patterned after the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. It said:
“Just like the NDDC and the Niger Delta Ministry, there should be a Northern Nigeria Development Ministry that should be given the same amount of money like the NDDC because our money was used to develop the oil.”
In the area of education in the South, the Group takes the credit. It says:
“Those that got early education from the South-west, South-east and South-south got their education from the Northern economy and Northern sweat.”
For good measure, the Group says the notion that the South is richer than the North is a myth, a myth which it says, has since been demystified.
It says it is a big lie for the South to keep flaunting Oil deposits in its region. The North now has oil in commercial quantity. And it adds that the Gold deposits underneath the North’s soil in Birnin Gwari, Zamfara and other areas is larger in quantity than a combination of the Gold deposits in Ghana and South Africa. The crisis in parts of the North, the Group insists, is instigated to stop the region from mining the Gold deposits, and drilling the oil underneath the North’s soil.
The Group’s anger is in two fold. One, the North, it says, is unjustifiably called parasites. Two, the businesses and properties of Northerners in the South are being destroyed by Southerners. But they laugh that off, arguing that compared to what Southerners have in Kano and Kaduna alone, the North has nothing in the South.
And they warn that if they retaliate by destroying the businesses of Southerners in their region, it will be terrible for the South.
It said: “The investments of Igbos and Yorubas runs into billions of Naira, especially in Kano and Kaduna States. If we remove BUA and Dangote who are international businessmen, what do we have? So, if you continue to destroy the lives and properties of people in your area, and we decide to retaliate, who is going to be the loser? How much investments do we have in the East? Our people in the East are either Tomato sellers, wheel barrow pushers, Okada riders, Suya makers, shoe shiners and nail cutters. But if you go to Kano, Kaduna, and other parts of Northern Nigeria, an Igbo man owns a personal house with C of O. Even a skyrocketed building is rented by Northerners themselves. You find an Igbo man owning a farmland of his own. You don’t have a Northerner owning a house in the East.”*
The Group, therefore, warns: “Enough is enough”, and said it has given both the Federal Government and State Governments in the South, a 30-day ultmatum to pay compensation on every Northerner killed and every business and/or properties destroyed, or retaliation would start.
Following is an excerpt of the text from the Press conference.
“We are called parasites today. But we are declaring that we, the Northerners, are the economic heart of Nigeria and nobody can address us as parasite.
“The oil that we enjoy today was harnessed, the refineries were constructed by the Northern Nigeria sweat, the Northern Nigeria economy and money.
“The money of groundnut, pyramid and cotton. The one that was used to research, to discover and build the economy in other parts of Nigeria, that some are claiming to be part of their personal properties.
“If that is the case, just like NDDC and Niger Delta Ministry, there should be a Northern Nigeria Development Ministry that should be given the same amount of money like the NDDC, because our money was used to develop the Oil. That is number one.
“Number two, those that got early education from the South West, South East and South South got their education from the Northern economy and Northern sweat. And by the grace of God, oil has been discovered within Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba and within Lake Chad Basin, and that is why this people are instigating Boko Haram, so that there will be no peace in the area for us to harness the Oil discovered in the area.
We have a large deposit of Gold in Birnin Gwari that is more than the deposit of gold in South Africa and Ghana, and that is why we are having Banditry in Birnin Gwari axis, so that we won’t be able to harness it. Same goes to Zamfara, that is why we are having Banditry also in that axis, so we are saying enough is enough.
“If we are to continue to coexist as Nigerians in Nigeria, the Northerners are ready to do that, that is why we have been accommodating the other people. Our properties are destroyed in the South West, South East and South South, and in Kano and Kaduna alone, the number of Igbos and Yorubas alone that are resident there are far greater than the entire Northerners that reside in the South West, South East and South South alone.
“The investments of Igbos and Yorubas run into Billions of Naira, especially in Kano and Kaduna, is far greater than the Igbo and Yoruba States investments in their states. If we remove the Bua and Dangote, who are international business men, and continue to destroy the lives and properties of people in your area and we decide to retaliate, who is going to be the loser? How much investment do we have in the East? Our people in the East are either tomato sellers, wheel barrow pushers, Okada riders, Suya makers, Shoe Shiners and Nail Cutters. Those are Northerners who mostly reside in the region. But if you go to Kano, Kaduna and other parts of Northern Nigeria, an Igbo man owns a personal house with C of O. Even a skyrocketed building is rented by Northerners themselves. You find an Igbo man owning a farmland of his own. You don’t have a Northerner owning a house in the East.
“So we are interested in coexisting as Nigerians, but if you don’t want it, then the North is ready to separate from the south.
“In fact, we have more than enough to sustain ourselves and to make Northern Nigeria great.
“And while others are calling for Oduduwa Republic and Biafra, we the North, remain as Nigerians because we are true Nigerians.
“So with this, we are passing this message to the Federal Government, to the Eastern and Western State Governors that every Northerner that has been killed, properties of any Northerner that have been destroyed must be compensated by the Governors of those States.
“We will no longer tolerate the abuse on our people. If not, we have done it in the past and we will do it again. We are passing a word of warning, because a word is enough for the wise. I repeat that compensation must be paid for every penny, every damn thing that has been lost by a Northerner, be it a Fulani man, Hausa man, Tiv man, Aro Goman or any tribe in the North. That is our demand.
“The State Governors must be responsible and pay off. If they don’t, they should not blame us for any action taken by us.
“We are giving a 30 days ultimatum from today to the Governors in which we are expecting them to act.”
But not a few people have faulted the claims of the Group on Ground Pyramid and Cotton being used to develop the South. They remind of Cocoa, Palm produce and Coal and Agriculture in the South.
However, the Governors of the South-east and most stakeholders have made it clear that they are against secession and against any group asking for it.
