The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) spokesperson, Professor Ango Abdullahi has accused the president, Muhammadu Buhari of short changing the north despite the support given to him from the region.
The NEF spokesman, while speaking on Kaduna-based Liberty Radio Hausa programme, “Bakon mu na mako” on Sunday said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has betrayed the north in terms of allocations, Ministerial appointments and distribution of capital projects.
Speaking on the role of the North in the president’s victory during the 2015 general elections, Professor Ango Abdullahi noted that the north rallied round the president irrespective of his political platform.
He added: “Buhari has been contesting election in the last 12 years. He contested on the platform of ANPP, contested again on the platform of CPC in 2011. In 2015, the north rallied round him because it was aggrieved over the decision of PDP to field Jonathan in spite of the obvious constitutional breach that another four year term for him would have imposed on the country.
“So, given the fact that northerners had resolved that power should shift to the north in 2015 and Buhari’s past record and personal integrity, the north rallied round in his support irrespective of party or religious affiliations.”
Expressing his grievances, Professor Ango Abdullahi pointed out that Buhari excluded the north from the Federal Executive Council (FEC), adding the he also did not appoint ministers from the north except for the Minister of Agriculture.
The NEF spokesman further accused the president of reducing its allocation and tampering with the overall welfare of the north.
He said: “Imagine, the north east which was ravaged by Boko Haram only got 3%. In terms of recurrent expenditure which is mainly paying salaries and servicing the day-to-day running of government, the north is also short changed because as at 10 years ago, 0nly 18% of federal civil servants are northerners.”
