July 2, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
In a scathing critique, a Socio-Cultural and Socio-Political organization, Think Yorùbá First, TYF, has questioned the leadership priorities of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mallam El-Rufai, accusing them of focusing more on controlling resources rather than promoting financial independence for Northern states.
This was contained in a statement signed by the organisatiin public relation officer, Ogbeni Oluwole, made available to The Yorùbá Times on Wednesday.
The organisation highlighted the economic challenges faced by Northern states, with over 90% unable to pay salaries or fund their government houses without federal allocations.
According to the statement, “With over 90% of core Northern states unable to pay salaries or even fund their Government Houses without Federal allocation, the following questions come to mind.”
TYF questions when Atiku and El-Rufai will focus on helping their region attain financial independence, asking, “When will you both be ashamed enough of your region’s parasitism to focus your undivided attention on it?”
The organisation also wonders why there are no initiatives in Northern Nigeria aimed at multiplying revenue and achieving independence, stating, “Why is there no single symposium or workshop in Northern Nigeria deliberating on how to multiply revenue and attain independence?”
The organisation criticizes Atiku and El-Rufai for prioritizing control over resources in other regions over helping their own people, saying, “Why are you both more desperate to control resources from Tinubu’s Lagos & Niger Delta than to help your people attain self-sufficiency?”
The statement raises concerns about the potential consequences of relying on other regions for financial support, asking, “What happens if the South-South and the Southwest go through economic crisis in future? What if both regions lose patience and decide to keep it all to themselves?”
TYF questions whether Atiku and El-Rufai care about the inability of these regions to save due to sharing with other regions.
TYF also challenges their priorities, asking, “As a leader, what matters most to you- Grabbing power at the center briefly or making your people financially independent in the long-term?” The statement concludes by questioning the logic of opposing President Tinubu while relying on his region for survival, saying, “Isn’t it shameful that you are struggling to remove Tinubu from power and calling him names yet, you are still going to rely on his state and region for survival?”
TYF statement ultimately asks if there is a plan to end the region’s reliance on others or if they feel entitled to continued support without contributing to it, stating, “Is there even a time frame to end your parasitism or do you feel entitled to keep getting what you never contributed to, or worked for?” TYF questioned.
