November 18, 2024
By Samuel Ogunsona
The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 election and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has made startling claims that Lagos is plotting to colonize the northern region.
He expressed these concerns during Skyline University’s convocation ceremony in Kano. Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, also criticized Lagos’ alleged involvement in the emirates tussle in Kano State.
Kwankwaso said, “Let me note our situation here in Kano and indeed northern Nigeria. The emir is just being a stooge at this very difficult time, especially in this part of the country (northern Nigeria).
“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of efforts from the Lagos axis to colonize this part of the country. Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose an emir, Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own emir.”
Kwankwaso also spoke on tax collection, saying, “Today, we are aware that the Lagos young men are working so hard to impose taxes and take away our taxes from Kano and this part of the country to Lagos.
“Today, as we have seen, even the telephones that we make or register here in Kano, efforts are there to take all the taxes to Lagos.
“Even our sons and daughters who have brought factories many of them here in Kano and northern Nigeria and even banks, somehow, they are forced to take their headquarters to Lagos because taxes will now have to go to Lagos.”
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former Governor of Kano State, has sounded the alarm on the growing wealth gap in Nigeria. “We have seen the efforts of some people to make the poor poorer and the rich richer, and I believe this is more dangerous,” he emphasized.
Kwankwaso, who served as Governor from 1999 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2015, is no stranger to advocating for the rights of the marginalized.
He urged lawmakers from the northern region to take action, stating that it’s high time they “wake up” and ensure the region isn’t taken advantage of. This call to action is particularly significant, given Kwankwaso’s reputation as a champion of education and social welfare. During his tenure, he introduced free education and school feeding programs, which led to a significant increase in school enrollment.
“At this moment, I would like to call all our National Assembly members to keep their eyes open so that they don’t do anything that would cheat the people of northern Nigeria, especially here, Kano.
“We are witnesses to what happened during the first term, 1999 to 2000, where our members of the National Assembly were bribed, were treated into collecting huge sums of money to support offshore in this country. That law put a huge blow into our economy not only here in northern Nigeria but all other states.” He stated.
