Confab: Northern Delegates Vow To Thwart Proposal Of New State For S/East

Confab-Delegates-in-sessionJust as prominent sons and daughters of Igbo extraction are jubilating over the proposal of the National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring to create an additional state for the South-East region, northern delegates at the Conference have vowed that the proposal would not see the light of day.

The delegates are, therefore, mobilising to scuttle the proposal before it gets into the final resolution.

Incidentally, the committee on political restructuring is co-chaired by a northerner, Mukaila Muhammed and General Ike Nwachukwu.

Spokesman for the northern delegates at the conference and former Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum ACF, Anthony Sani, described the agitation for an additional state as misplaced.

Sani argued that the agitation for the creation of an additional state for the South-East in order to ‘pacify’ the region was faulty, as no one had wronged anyone.

He further argued that the present situation where many of the states were not economically-viable and where many of the governors had contributed to the underdevelopment of the country, it would be unwise to create more states.

His words: “When people say we should create states to pacify them (South-East), the impression one gets is that a wrong has been done. It is not so.

“To create states, there are conditions that must be met. One, how homogeneous, the population, the landmass and lastly, the viability. All these are there.

“We have insisted, in the light of so many created and which have led to the underdevelopment of the country while some are not viable, that will it be politically correct to still create states? We have to address that.

“I feel a bit worried when the South-East insists that on the basis of equality, there must be six states. When people say appease, it is as if they have been wronged.

“South-West was a region and it has six states. The old Eastern Region has nine. The whole of the North, which is half or even more than half of the country, has just 19. You do not just create states like that”.

On whether the northern delegates will shoot down the proposal before the final report of the conference, Sani affirmed that the North would move against it, stressing that it would amount to injustice against her people.

“If it is on the basis of equality that they are making that suggestion, we are going to counteract it. Have they forgotten that injustice is not just when equals are treated unequally but when unequals are treated equally?”

 

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. MR NANI OR WHATEVER YOU ARE CALLED, IF YOU THINK YOUR REGION IS THAT TOO GREAT; , WHY DON’T YOU MAKE YOURSELF A COUNTRY AND GO TO HELL? WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT EACH ZONE MUST HAVE EQUAL NUMBER OF STATES.ELSE, YOU WILL BE THE FIRST TO CRY.ABOKI NKITA.

  2. All these rubbish by these so called Hausa people I don’t like them. The amalgamation of Nigeria was the biggest mistake in the history of this nation. Frankly speaking, we are not united . We preach about unity because of oil. The moment oil finishes,unity go end. Separation is the answer. If they (the Hausas) don’t not support additional state for the south east, advocate for separation. Let them go. Besides, their boko boys is negatively affecting the shadowy unity of this Nation.

  3. They want to be majority at all time…the state must be created in the south east.I am sick and tired of all these illiterate Northerners,they’re only interested in squandering our oil money,lazy people!

  4. Mr. Sani or whatever you call yourself, listen the underdevelopment is mainly in the northern zone not in the southern zone, take note of that. We don’t train beggars in the south unlike the north where begging is part of Koran commandment. Again, it’s true that the unity of Nigeria will not be discussed, therefore, don’t lead your people into error otherwise, get ready for Islamic republic of Arewa, because we must make sure your zone is completing cut off from the present day Nigeria map. You talked of population, how many are the northerners, there has never been credible census in Nigeria, northern figure is political for federal allocation, so be warned for the last time. South East must have their way, additional one state is a must, just as the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable so also the creation of addition state for S/E is not negotiable. You’re talking of Land mark, do Nigeria benefit from northern land mark, in fact, you’re a compound illiterate.