*Says Buhari, APC still committed to restructuring
*As Kaduna Gov advocates state police, judicial autonomy
*‘Violence worse in Northern Kaduna than its South’
*We are better together than breakup – Mohammed Tukur
Governor of Kaduna State and Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Restructuring Committee, Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, has asked leaders of ethnic groups in Nigeria, particularly South, to stop taking the words of opposition elements, regardless of whether or not they are in the north, as the voice of the region.
He said this while dismissing Northerners opposed to restructuring of the country, saying they were doing so for selfish reasons and not as representatives of the North.
Governor el-Rufai, according to a newspaper report, also said the draft bill on restructuring produced by the APC Restructuring Committee in January 2018 was stepped down for fear of politicization, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Speaking to journalists during a panel discussion at the on-going 26th Nigerian Economic Summit (NESG), holding at Transcorp Hilton Hotels in Abuja, Governor el-Rufai pointed out that there was a difference between the position of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) against restructuring and northerners as a people.
He argued that there were over one hundred million Northerners whose interests were at stake, maintaining that whatever advantages an individual was getting for himself did not apply directly to the entire North.
“We have the highest number of out-of-school children. We have the highest poverty rate. We have the lowest JAMB cut-off rate. So, what are the advantages to the North in the current situation?
“As governor of Kaduna State, I have had to look at these issues and try to see how I can get the people of my state up on the ladder. I think you need to differentiate the knowledge from a few and the voice of the silent majority,” he said.
el-Rufai, however, regretted that certain people present restructuring in a derogatory way in a manner that portrayed all the Northerners as backward people.
He said: “The way some people present restructuring is so insulting and derogatory. We should have an honest conversation on what is working and what is not. We don’t have anything to benefit from making derogatory remarks against a particular group of people because of restructuring.
“If there are northern leaders today by virtue of the fact that I am a governor, I must be there. So, who are these northerners against restructuring? Who are they? Who are they speaking for? So, let us have a very honest, unemotional conversation without looking down on people or insulting them or framing them.”
el-Rufai, who noted that some interested members of his party are making frantic efforts to get the draft bill presented to the National Assembly for consideration before the end of the tenure of the present administration, said the ruling party is still committed to restructuring.
He explained that the committee made bold recommendations at the time and prepared a draft bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly which every lawmaker could take up and sponsor as a private bill.
According to him, “we do not need an executive bill to start action on the draft bill submitted by the committee.”
The governor insisted that it was the position of the party and President Buhari to see the draft bill passed into law, assuring that consideration of the bill would soon commence.
“The consideration could be done piecemeal as we do not require an omnibus amendment of the constitution to restructure the country,” he said.
On insecurity in Southern Kaduna, the governor posited that the violence in Northern Kaduna was more devastating than the insecurity in Southern Kaduna as perceived by the public.
He, however, declined to speak in detail about the real cause of the violence, promising that he would make himself available only if a separate session would be arranged to discuss the issue.
“Though the violence in Southern Kaduna has been over-reported, the insecurity in Northern Kaduna — Birnin Gwari, is more than that in Southern Kaduna. But the newspapers based in Lagos and Abuja choose to focus on Southern Kaduna rather than what is really happening,” he said.
The governor noted that the crisis was over 200 years old and could not be tackled in a minute.
On population, el-Rufai argued that population could only be controlled through education of the girl-child.
“Countries that controlled birth rate through legislation are now reversing it. There is a lot of debate on that because countries that have tried to curtail demographic growth like China have now reversed themselves.
“Singapore even pays you to have children. The current thinking in developing economies is that population growth is not bad if you can ensure that the population is educated and healthy.
“But at the state level, we are all trying our best to reduce fertility level. And what is the best way? The best way is to educate girls. If you make sure that your girls are educated, you immediately reduce fertility level.
“The way is to ensure that the girls get at least senior secondary school level because now they take their fate in their own hands. They start at least from the age of 18.”
We are better together than breakup – Mohammed Tukur
He spoke just as the Wali of Bakori and former Managing Director, AfriJet, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, said in an exclusive interview with The DEFENDER in Lagos that the North wants to remain in friendship with all tribes and so cannot be selfish to say power should remain with the region come 2023.
Tukur, who favours Yoruba presidency to succeed the Hausa-Fulani leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, however, worried that the South West do not seem to be ready for the top job considering their attitude in recent times. He asked them to out their house together and present a generally acceptable candidate as their candidate come 2023.
On restructuring, Tukur said those, whose intention is to break Nigeria, do not know the regrettable path they are toeing as, according to him, the unity of the country is best for all.
Tukur told the South to stop thinking that the North cannot survive without them, saying there is nobody stopping anybody from going if that is his choice but that people should stop making their argument look like the North is backward and so afraid of breakup as the South portray them with the aid of the media control they enjoy.
He said in the North, “we are not afraid of any threat of breakup because we can manage our problem, we cannot suffer and we will rather live in peace. Nobody is in control of anybody’s life but we are better together because, those who don’t know what they are doing are the ones calling for division”.
