Efforts Ongoing From Lagos Axis To Colonise Northern Nigeria, Impose Emir On Us —Kwankwaso
Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has accused powerful people from Lagos State of plotting to colonise the country’s northern region.
Lagos, also called ‘Centre of Excellence,’ is generally regarded as the economic hub of West Africa because of its highest revenue and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s current president, was the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
His administration has faced criticism for prioritizing Lagos technocrats and politicians for federal appointments.
Recently, former governor and senator Kwankwaso sparked controversy during the convocation ceremony of Skyline University in Kano, alleging that individuals from Lagos are imposing their preferred Emirs on northern communities, disregarding local customs and preferences.
Kwankwaso said, “Let me note our situation here in Kano and indeed northern Nigeria. The emir is just being a stooge at this very difficult time, especially in this part of the country (northern Nigeria).
“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of efforts from the Lagos axis to colonize this part of the country. Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose an emir, Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own emir.”
Kwankwaso also added that the Tinubu Government is plotting to ensure that taxes collected nationwide are used for the development of Lagos state only.
He continued: “Today, we are aware that the Lagos young men are working so hard to impose taxes and take away our taxes from Kano and this part of the country to Lagos.
“Today, as we have seen, even the telephones that we make or register here in Kano, efforts are there to take all the taxes to Lagos.
“Even our sons and daughters who have brought factories many of them here in Kano and northern Nigeria and even banks, somehow, they are forced to take their headquarters to Lagos because taxes will now have to go to Lagos.”
The former Kano governor also spoke on the disparity between the rich and the poor saying, “We have seen the efforts of some people to make the poor poorer and the rich richer and I believe this is more dangerous.”
Kwankwaso, therefore, called on lawmakers from the northern part of the country to make sure the region is not cheated in any way.
“At this moment, I would like to call all our National Assembly members to keep their eyes open so that they don’t do anything that would cheat the people of northern Nigeria, especially here, Kano.
“We are witnesses to what happened during the first term, 1999 to 2000, where our members of the National Assembly were bribed, were treated into collecting huge sums of money to support offshore in this country. That law put a huge blow into our economy not only here in northern Nigeria but all other states,” he said.
