By TUNJI WAHAB
Lagos Governor Akinwumi Ambode has been urged to be wary of some characters parading themselves as leaders of Arewa Community in the state.
The warning was contained in a strongly worded statement signed by the President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Mallam Yerima Usman Shetima, where he lambasted a couple of personalities, who he described as bloody impostors by claiming to be leaders and mouthpiece of the Arewa Community in Lagos State simply because they are in appointed offices.
Yerima was supporting a report credited to the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos State, Alhaji Mohammed Bambado who, in an interview alleged that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had abandoned the Arewa community after supporting him to victory in the last governorship election.
According to him, those enjoying government appointments like Gambo Manzo, SA to the Vice-President, Arc. Ahmed Kabiru Abdullahi, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission and Alhaji Musa Saleh, who claimed to be the Secretary General of Arewa Community in Lagos have no moral rights to speak on behalf of the community because they are not so qualified.
Yerima however stated that the AYCF was not against the Governor relating with those mentioned and their cohorts as personal friends, pointing out however that, “what we are saying is that they are not representing the noble people of the Arewa Community in the government of the state.”
While restating that Arewa people have the tradition of according respect to culturally constituted authority where respect is accorded who are due for it, Yerima asserted, “that rudeness and arrogance are not attributes of cultured Arewa people, saying whoever talks down on constituted authority like the high office of The Sarkin Fulani of Lagos State that we hold in high esteem can never be regarded as true representative of our dear community.”
Against the foregoing, the statement further urged the governor to research into the relationship of his friends in government who claim to be Arewa’s eyes, ears and mouths with their so called constituency with a view to ascertaining whether they are representing their own pockets or representing their community.
“I agree with our respected leader and foremost traditional ruler, Sarikin Fulani, Alhaji Mohammadu Bambado where he pointed out that: ‘Sincerely, the present Ambode government is not carrying Arewa community along. He does not recognise Arewa leaders in the state. I cannot remember any invitation from the present administration unlike Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola who were before him. They invited leaders of Arewa community when occasion demanded. But we have been alienated by the present government of Ambode. If you don’t sit and rub mind with the leaders, how would you know the problem of Arewa community in Lagos. We are watching to see if there would be a change of policy but as I speak with you, we are not being carried along,” Yerima concurred.
The concerned AYCF boss made it clear that, some of those in government from Arewa Community side are paper weights, who command no respect from their supposed constituencies, asserting that most, if not all of them have no followership that can make any appreciable impact during any election in the state.
Yerima therefore reminded those trampling on the Arewa’s rich culture of respect to stop the rascally attitudes, saying there is no rascality in Arewa culture.
