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.

Dividing Nigeria to give Biafra is not the solution - Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

“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 1959, 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 evenworse 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. Are we truly ready to develop and unite Nigeria.”



Courtesy of: ngnblog

He should better warn his Fulani brothers o
they better go and educate themselves, and stop killing ppl. touts

Every thing is not Education and Education is not Every thing.

cckris:
Buhari has ABOLISHED the Almajiri Schools built by Jonathan

EroticAngelina:
He should better warn his Fulani brothers o

they better go and educate themselves, and stop killing ppl. touts

Sanusi is indirectly telling Igbos and Niger Deltans that division of Nigeria is not the solution to their problem...that Igbos, Niger Deltans and Yorubas are major contributors to the corruption and decay that has destroyed Nigeria till date....he then reminded us again that even Britain that Igbos think love northerners, never loved northern Nigerians....that Britain even had a secret documented plan that forbids the education of northern Nigerian Muslims so that they won't become enlightened like their Egyptian and Moroccan Muslim counterparts, which is the reason why we have plenty Almajiri and uneducated northern Muslim youths

NigeriaKitchen:
Sanusi is indirectly telling Igbos and Niger Deltans that division of Nigeria is not the solution to their problem...that Igbos, Niger Deltans and Yorubas are major contributors to the corruption and decay that has destroyed Nigeria till date....he then reminded us again that even Britain that Igbos think love northerners, never loved northern Nigerians....that Britain even had a secret documented plan that forbids the education of northern Nigerian Muslims so that they won't become enlightened like their Egyptian and Moroccan Muslim counterparts, which is the reason why we have plenty Almajiri and uneducated northern Muslim youths

northerners will say anything to defend themselves.

Education would've liberated the north but the northern elites need foot soldiers to do their bidding no questions asked.

That's why they wanted GEJ out by all means. Apparently GEJ offended them by building schools for them

when they put u in position to take over the resources of the south u did not complain.

For over 4 decades, their elite and those at the centre of power never thought about the education of their HausaFulani brothers but just self aggrandizement and mundane accumulation of wealth.

we already knew that, ur highness,, sardauna did a great jop may his soul rest in perfect peace... and now somepeople are insulting the northern illiterate, the missionary did a great jop in this conspiracy building 800 schools in S and building 4 in north... whatever mah dey time will tell,,, religion is the problem with Nigeria

Those tribe that live by blaming others will never progress in the region. If I may ask since independent that the northern have be ruling this country backwards, who made all those policies? You elite of the north are the curse of all the problems in the north and Nigeria as I whole and the moment they except it things will look optimistic.

God help Northerners in this kind situation in Nigeria, and those who like this plan, i don't know what to say with them...

Then i wonder the meaning of boko haram










long live

If they had integrated education into the northerners way of life then nigeria would have been an "almost" perfect country
Allowing Nigeria to Conquer the entire west Africa, and eventually Africa. What with the absence of terrorism, extremism religious fanatics that proper education brings nigerian economy would have been like no other.
But as usual, the white devils found a way to slow us down. And the northern leaders don't know any better because they only think of the present and their pockets.

Dudeweedlmao:
If they had educated the north then nigeria would have been an "almost" perfect country.

But as usual, the white devils found a way to slow us down. And the northern leaders don't know any better because they only think of the present.

NigeriaKitchen:

If after ruling us for more than 40yrs and they can not educate their people i wonder who will

NigeriaKitchen:
Sanusi is indirectly telling Igbos and Niger Deltans that division of Nigeria is not the solution to their problem...that Igbos, Niger Deltans and Yorubas are major contributors to the corruption and decay that has destroyed Nigeria till date....he then reminded us again that even Britain that Igbos think love northerners, never loved northern Nigerians....that Britain even had a secret documented plan that forbids the education of northern Nigerian Muslims so that they won't become enlightened like their Egyptian and Moroccan Muslim counterparts, which is the reason why we have plenty Almajiri and uneducated northern Muslim youths

On one part, he's right. When they want to loot the nation, they look at each other in the face and nobody then sees igbo, yoruba or hausa. This I agree with him but that sorry excuse of how Britain had a secret plan not to educate the north is just bullsh!t!
Britain left Nigeria in 1959/1960 so what excuse is the northern elite going to give for not educating themselves for the past 55/56 years?

do if the British don't educate you,you won't educate yourseft?,meanwhile u gave a very good why Nigeria must remain one,but he shouldn't forget if we have good leaders and equality we would have been enjoying our diversity.Very true about the Niger delta analysis, they even fight among themselves,ijaws,urhobos and they think they can eat oil.

tsephanyah:
we already knew that, ur highness,, sardauna did a great jop may his soul rest in perfect peace... and now somepeople are insulting the northern illiterate, the missionary did a great jop in this conspiracy building 800 schools in S and building 4 in north... whatever mah dey time will tell,,, religion is the problem with Nigeria

please don't bring the missionaries into this before I descend on you,did the missionary stop them from educating themselves since independence?, you want christains to build schools in Muslim regions?later they would have been saying the British Christianize us,were they not planning to destroy western education?why did they rebuke Jonathan amajire schools?,why do they resist parent planning?,don't they use their illetrates for political advantage?abeg descend from here joor.

fool of the first century

tsephanyah:
we already knew that, ur highness,, sardauna did a great jop may his soul rest in perfect peace... and now somepeople are insulting the northern illiterate, the missionary did a great jop in this conspiracy building 800 schools in S and building 4 in north... whatever mah dey time will tell,,, religion is the problem with Nigeria

Christian missionaries invested their lives within the regions that were eager to embrace western education. Do Islam which was mostly embraced in the North not have its own missionaries who should have focused on their human capital development.

The schools founded by Christian missionaries such as St. Mary College, Zaria was it not Islamized and renamed Queen Amina College Zaria?

We got our independence in 1960, why is the North still blaming the British?

Godgay:
please don't bring the missionaries into this before I descend on you,did the missionary stop them from educating themselves since independence?, you want christains to build schools in Muslim regions?later they would have been saying the British Christianize us,were they not planning to destroy western education?why did they rebuke Jonathan amajire schools?,why do they resist parent planning?,don't they use their illetrates for political advantage?abeg descend from here joor.

why are so harsh, I know the problem with north calm down. I know they neglected western education even boko haram are against that, I'm talking about politics,. disguise

Godgay:
please don't bring the missionaries into this before I descend on you,did the missionary stop them from educating themselves since independence?, you want christains to build schools in Muslim regions?later they would have been saying the British Christianize us,were they not planning to destroy western education?why did they rebuke Jonathan amajire schools?,why do they resist parent planning?,don't they use their illetrates for political advantage?abeg descend from here joor.

why are so harsh, I know the problem with north calm down. I know they neglected western education even boko haram are against that, I'm talking about politics,. in disguise.

Pavore9:


Christian missionaries invested their lives within the regions that were eager to embrace western education. Do Islam which was mostly embraced in the North not have its own missionaries who should have focused on their human capital development.

The schools founded by Christian missionaries such as St. Mary College, Zaria was it not Islamized and renamed Queen Amina College Zaria?

We got our independence in 1960, why is the North still blaming the British?

double standard

tsephanyah:
double standard

Double standard by who? Moreover the Christian Missionaries where propagating the Christian Faith alongside the school system and we both know that will not be possible within a Muslim enclave!

.

NigeriaKitchen:
Sanusi is indirectly telling Igbos and Niger Deltans that division of Nigeria is not the solution to their problem...that Igbos, Niger Deltans and Yorubas are major contributors to the corruption and decay that has destroyed Nigeria till date....he then reminded us again that even Britain that Igbos think love northerners, never loved northern Nigerians....that Britain even had a secret documented plan that forbids the education of northern Nigerian Muslims so that they won't become enlightened like their Egyptian and Moroccan Muslim counterparts, which is the reason why we have plenty Almajiri and uneducated northern Muslim youths

Which is the reason why you have plenty Alamajiri and uneducated northern Muslim youths 56 years after independence? It is more credible to say that the British placed a curse of illiteracy on them than this balderdash.