₦airaland Forum

Northerners have been advised to stop blaming anyone over the present economic and security situations in the region as it is a self-inflicted and deliberate injury perpetrated by the people for selfish and personal gains.

The assertion was made by a former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Prof Usman Yusuf, while speaking as Chairman of a one-day Consultative Forum organised by a political pressure group, Tafjyan Matasan Arewa (Northern Youths Movement), held in Bauchi on Saturday.

According to him, “No Northerner should blame anyone for our current situation. We brought it upon ourselves. In 2015 we voted out the administration under the pretence of Boko Haram, today, where are we? We had Muhammadu Buhari as President for 8 years, yet, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road is not completed.”

He added, “Today, billions of Naira have been earmarked for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. Who are we to blame for this? Ourselves, of course. Our children cannot go to school, the farmers cannot go to the farms because of insecurity, banditry. Who are the bandits, who are the Boko Haram? Now, we have another Lakurawa, who are these people? Our people, of course.”

“I can hear discordant voices all over the Northern region, of betrayal, the question is who betrayed who? Out of the over 8 million votes President Bola Ahmed Tinubu scored in the 2023 General elections, over 5 million came from the North. That means the North chose to be betrayed,” he added.

“In 2015, it was the same North that voted for Muhammadu Buhari as President, he spent 8 years, but could not complete a viable project in the Region but this present administration within 1 year, go and see what it has done for the other side of the country,” he added.

Usman Yusuf vented his anger saying, “All we can do is to sit idle and cry that we have been betrayed. We have people in the NASS, they do not talk for the North since the exit of people like Gudaji Kazaure. Whatever happened to the North was caused by the Northerners.”

According to him, “We used to have good leadership in this country, leaders who built good schools, roads, hospitals and other infrastructure not minding who was where, there was no discrimination in them, their focus was the people, the country.”

He stressed that, “It was when I came into government that I realised that it was not the work that should be done but how the money must be shared. All my efforts to let them know that the funds allotted to NHIA were for the good of the people fell on deaf ears, but it had to be shared.”

According to him, “If we don’t work out our peace, nobody will do that for us, the Armed Forces cannot do that. We are the ones to bring peace to ourselves. For many years we have been coexisting peacefully, if you check, our DNA is the same, why then are we killing ourselves?”

He also stated that, “The answer is not far-fetched, it was done just to create a gap of enmity between the Fulani and others in order to divide and tear the North apart. The best way to do that was to ensure that we no longer speak the same language, admire each other and fraternise together.”

According to him, “A few of our leaders are using us for marketing, using Boko Haram, ISWAP and now Lakurawa to make money, they are engaged in serious marketing with the issue of insecurity in the North. This marketing will never end with those few people around.”

He lamented that today, Borno State from where the whole thing started is more peaceful than Katsina State where the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari hailed from saying, “For 8 years, we had a President, what did he do to stop the free flow of blood? Our sleeping and dependence on religion is too much.”

According to him, “While we are busy killing ourselves and disintegrating the Northern region, they are busy building their regions. We are not in school, their children are going. The youths must rise up and act now, we have done ours and failed.”

Usman Yusuf declared that, “If you don’t know, let me tell you that eight Governors put us in the present situation in the North, they assiduously promoted the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, it did not only bring the present administration but brought out sharp division in the North, between Muslims and Christians, who were before now brothers and sisters.”

The Medical Professor added that, “There is serious acrimony in the North because the indigenous Christians are saying the Muslims brought problems for them. I am convinced that no reasonable Northerner will do Muslim-Muslim ticket.”

“They have succeeded in widening the relationship gap among the Northerners, we have become a joke now. Recently, I watched on TikTok when someone stated that now that Muslim-Muslim presidency has failed us, next time we will try Christian-Christian presidency, you can see what we have been reduced to.”

The former NHIA ES stated that, “Let me tell you, the so-called Muslim-Muslim ticket then was not in good faith, it was done to ridicule Islam and Muslims. Please, my people, let us be careful of the wrath of God. We are using Islam to cheat people, mislead the people. Islam is no joke. Youths, power is now in your hands.”

He stressed that, “I am here basically because I believe in the youths, nations are built by the youths not the aged, we must all galvanise our youths and step aside and show them the way that is the only way this nation can be reformed, it is by the youths.”

According to him, “We must develop the 15, 17, 19 and above young people, we are here to guide you, this country belongs to all of you, this country has given my generation more than we can ever give back. It is up to you to give back to your children and grandchildren but you cannot just be sleeping doing Facebook, TikTok and expect something to come over to you.”

The Prof of Medicine added that, “As youths, you have to stand up, get involved in whatever process you find yourselves in your various places, you just get involved. Blaming people and lamentation of the current situations will not take you anywhere.”

He stressed that, “I have a good feeling for this country, we have a lot of vibrant youths that care for this country and we must support you and I am here to support you.”

He added that, “During our youths, we went to school free of charge, why was it possible? Because we had good and honest leaders and leadership both Muslims and Christians. Just leaders, from primary school to secondary schools all in the villages even up to the university. All the schools I attended were Catholic schools, my parents enrolled me.”

He stressed that, “In my era, there was no religious discrimination, we were the only ones and my parents insisted we must attend because we used to be one. In fact, my father stressed that the discipline in the Catholic school was better than that of NA Schools. I attended Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, which at that time and even now has students from across the country.”

He charged youths to stand up, fight without bloodletting and liberate the Northern region by ensuring that they voted out all those bad leaders stressing that, “It is you who will get the North out of the present doldrums and make things work again.”

According to him, “The present administration is confused, it is engaged in trial and luck, does not know what to do to fix the problem. The Northern people must therefore get united, particularly the youths, you have many platforms, divisive politics will not take us anywhere, we must come together.”

The bottom line according to him is that the elders have failed the Northern people therefore, genuine and real unpartisan traditional rulers and clerics must stand up and join the race to liberate the North.