Governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu, in whay many believe is a veiled reference to threats from Niger Delta agitators has said that he North is not afraid of separation from Nigeria if push comes to shove.
Aliyu spoke during a meeting with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) in his office.
“If Nigeria splits, the north can still survive on its own contrary to the belief of some people in other regions that the north cannot survive if the nation disintegrates,” the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), stated yesterday.
“No community in Nigeria should be afraid of separation. If some people want to go, they should go, we will survive. We are not scared of separation,” he said
“The same was said of Niger Republic. Niger was the poorest country in the world but today, if you see oil in Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto and Maiduguri, it would have come from Niger Republic.
“There is no way Niger and Chad can have oil and improve their economy and the north will not be able to do the same”, Aliyu remarked.