Elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai says other regions have formed the habit of blaming the North for the challenges that confront them.
He said it was unfair for the North, which has a greater proportion of poor people, to still be blamed for the problems facing the other regions.
Yakasai, a former Liaison Officer to President Shehu Shagari, stated this during an online conference to commemorate the 51st Anniversary of the end of the Nigerian-Biafran War.
The nonagenarian stressed that the tendency to blame the North was symptomatic of the deep divisions that exist in the land, saying that such must be holistically addressed.
Many members of the political elite, especially from the South, constantly accuse the North of nepotism and seeking to dominate leadership positions to continue to lord it over the other regions.
They insist that the North is against the restructuring of the federation because it benefits from the current system which they described as “unfair and unworkable”.
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Reacting, Yakasai said that while it was true that the North has occupied more leadership positions than others, it was not an excuse to blame the region for the problems of others.
He said, “I’m a northerner but we are the most unlucky people in this country.
“Most people blame us for their problems but we are the poorest in the country. I was reading recently the number of billionaires in Nigeria and out of 10, eight were from the South and only two were from the North; Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu of BUA Group.
“We have been in power more than any other ethnic group. The fact is that we held power more than anybody yet we became the poorest.”
Yakasai urged all to draw lessons from the Civil War and bring an end to the mistrust that exists among the major ethnic groups in the country.
“We need to learn from the Civil War of 51 years ago and address squarely the fractional tendencies in the country today. Unity, peace, trust, justice, democracy and development must be made to work for Nigeria to keep it stronger,” Yakasai stated.
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