OPINION: 2023: “When Will The South Have Political Sense?” |The Source

By Ahmed Shehu Yerima

You must understand  something. All Southern politicians are driven by untold degree of selfishness. While in office, they are all aspiring for the next office. The strategy to get on the ladder is to sacrifice their people, their towns and villages and their region.

They do everything possible to please the Hausa-Fulani Northerners in order to be favoured. We can go back a little to pull out some examples.

(1) Gov. Peter Odili wanted to run for presidency, he was at home with Northern Emirs and Northern Opinion leaders. At the end, he failed.

(2) Gen Obasanjo held up  development programs in the South, and promoted infrastructure development in the North in order to get the 3rd term agenda through. At the end, he failed.

(3) James Ibori wanted to be  Vice President to President Yar’dua, in place of Jonathan. Delta State Liaison office in Abuja, became an ATM for all the Northern PDP members. At the end, not only did he fail, he was sent to prison.

(4) Jonathan Goodluck postponed South South development for his anticipated second tenure and put in all resources to the rehabilitation of the Almajiris. Built Abuja- Kaduna Rail line when Lagos Ibadan Express Way was impassable, East West Road was a mere historical concept; built and completed Federal Universities in Katsina, Jigawa etc, but did foundation ground breaking for the the Federal University in Bayelsa. At the end, he was sent out of the Villa by the Northern INEC Chairman he appointed.

(5) Under Jonathan, the then Minister for Aviation, Stella Odua, funded in full, the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Kano, Sokoto, Katsina Airports but Port Harcourt Airport operated from a Tarpaulin. Enugu (airport) completely shot down. At the end, AMCON took over all her assets and(she is)currently facing EFCC.

(6) Our brother Ibe Kachukwu was the Chairman of NNPC BOT & Petroleum Minister at the same time. He promoted the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline. He rehabilitated the Petroleum institute in Kaduna when the Petroleum Institute in Warri was not captured in the budget. He was humiliated out of office.

(7) Obono-Obla was appointed the Chairman of Government Asset Recovery Committee. His target was only all past office holders from the South South and South East. At the end  he was “framed” and arrested.

(8) The immediate past MD of NDDC and Akwa Ibom State APC Governorship candidate, Nsima Ekere gave out emergency jobs (contracts) only to Southern Contractors fronting for Northerners. NDDC became an ATM for “the Villa Boys”. Where is he now?

(9) Rotimi Amaechi is lobbying to be the next Vice President, in 2023. His first action is to sell the South and became a saboteur. No wonder, why, as the Transport Minister, he found it very necessary to build the Lagos-Ibadan- Abuja-Kaduna-Kano-Katsina Rail line, Calabar – Maiduguri Rail line, Transport University in Katsina.

The Great Eastern Railway line from Port Harcourt via Aba, Onitsha to Enugu to Okene in his books, is not feasible.

The Minister is completing the biggest rail and road line into Niger Republic and towards the border of Niger Republic and other countries while the roads in the South are impassable.

What Niger Republic has benefited in this Administration is bigger that all that South-south and South-east combined. Who are the MDs of Nigerian Ports Authority and NIMASA?

(10) The current Petroleum Minister, Chief Timipre Sylva, has initiated the construction of the Ajaokuta-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipe line to facilitate the building of a Gas Power Station in Abuja and Kaduna and “to turn Kano into an Industrial Head Quarters”. The man is from Bayelsa State where there is over 90% unemployment and no electricity light from National Grid.

11)” Ahmed Tinubu, for his desire to rule Nigeria practically sold the South, and with his bullion vans put Buhari to power. History will tell of him soon like others.

12) The number of appointments of people from Niger Republic in Buhari Administration is bigger than all South combined and all the National Assembly members are aware, but keep quiet because of future ambition and to avoid probe.

Yerima a former Senator, and two-time Governor of Zamfara State, was the first Governor, under the President Obasanjo Govt, to introduce, and implement the Shariah Law. The Source  does not necessarily agree with the opinion he expressed here.