By Ken Afor
The Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) has refuted claims by some leaders from the region that President Bola Tinubu’s appointments were ‘lopsided’ in favour of the South West, where he originates from, asserting that northerners have no right to complain.
It would be recalled, Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, had attacked Tinubu for appointing Southern Christians into key positions, claiming that the President would not be re-elected for a second term in office.
He exclaimed that all forms of money and economic power are in the hands of a few individuals, leaving out northerners, and went on to declare that those who supported the Muslim-Muslim ticket are hypocritical and insignificant.
His words, “It is a decoy. Muslims are the heads of the Ministry of Defence, of what significance is it? The real people in charge of Command and Control, those holding the guns and shooting, are we the ones? We are not the ones; they are playing us. There is an agenda. All means of money and economic power have been hijacked by them, they are planning to deceive us for four years and get eight years. They will not, Insha Allah.
“I want to tell you, there is no way Northerners doing their legitimate business will get one billion naira. Our rich people cannot get anything except those they trust. They only trust them because they are doing what they want. Anyone whose loyalty they are not sure of, they will crush him in a few months.
“They will only come during elections like it is done to spread grains to chickens. If they spread grains to chickens, that’s all. Giving spaghetti to people is the solution, this spaghetti issue is a big deal. We are being cheated in this country and in a real mess.”
However, Elliot Afiyo, national President of NYLF, speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State to newsmen, accused the President of exploiting the North to get to the Presidency with the goal of diminishing the political power of the region.
He alleged that the President was worsening an already deep divide of inequitable appointments that was bequeathed by his former leader, Muhammadu Buhari.
Afiyo argued that Buhari’s administration had created an unbalanced 80:20 appointment gap between the North and the South and urged Tinubu to rectify the situation for it not to persist as an ‘error’.
He said “Since independence, when you look at the appointment by Tafawa Balewa you will agree with me that it was 40/60 north-south and subsequent appointment by General Yakubu Gowon was trying to narrow the gap, and even in the democratic setting in 1999 under the leadership of President (Olusegun) Obasanjo. That is why I always say he is my father, because he has a nationalistic thinking.
“But Buhari came in and created the gap to be 20/80. And even the northerners that they were saying that Buhari appointed were not northerners per se. There were a few cliques, the North itself didn’t benefit from it, but we are now seeing the appointments by President Tinubu are tilting towards the South West. He narrowed the gap that Buhari created, but the gap he is creating now is also widening.
“I would say northerners don’t have the right to complain that the appointments or placements are lopsided. We don’t have the right to complain.
“But as an advanced citizen, I ask: can we continue like this? If we get an Igbo President, he will appoint Igbos. Where are we going as a nation? So, there is a need for us to balance it.”
Security agencies were called upon by him to intervene as he frowned upon what he labelled the negative propaganda against Tinubu’s administration which was propagated by certain religious leaders in the north.
Afiayo called on Tinubu “to urgently curtail the ugly trend and situation before the minds of the people are polluted, especially the northern youth in the rural areas who constitute 70% of the Northern population.”
