Northern leaders under the auspices of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and North’s Governors’ Forum have expressed readiness for the convocation as well as the outcome of the proposed national conference by the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
The Northern Elders Forum has said the North is however nursing no fear of an eventual break-up of Nigeria if the nothern citizens vote for it at the conference while the North’s Governors’ Forum chaired by Governor Babangida Aliyu said the north is ready to fully partake in the conference.
NEF spokesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, said there is wrong with Nigerians sitting down to discuss their problems during an interview in Abuja on Wednesday.
Abdullahi further explained that contrary to the views held in certain quarters, “northerners were not opposed to any form of dialogue in whatever form or shape”.
“There is no problem with Nigerians sitting down to discuss their problems whether in the form of dialogue, whether in a form of conference, whether in the form of a meeting, even in the form of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC).
“The SNC that people are advocating; people are saying that it is a way for Nigeria to break up. This shouldn’t be a problem. Even in Britain today, Scotland is still agitating to opt out of the United Kingdom; even the Northern Island problem is still there.
“In Spain, there are separatist groups agitating for independence. Even recently, we had in the Soviet Union and it has broken up into 11 different countries.
“India was created in 1948, in one year there was Pakistan, in another year there was Bangladesh. So why shouldn’t it happen in Nigeria if they (advocates of SNC) believe this is the way to go?” he queried.
The former vice-chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the national conference should not be a worrisome issue for any Nigerian, but added that the earlier Nigerians accepted that Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities could never dissolve into one, the better.
Abdullahi also noted that it was probably out of the desire to make something out of the situation that led to the several conferences that had been held since 1914.
However, he expressed fears that the current attempt by the Jonathan administration to hold another conference when the reports of previous ones, held constitutional conferences in 1976, 1978, 1988, 1994/1995 and 2005, had not been implemented was suspicious.
Besides, Aliyu affirmed that the North is ready to discuss the way forward for the country through the proposed national dialogue,
“We should not be afraid of our present situation. We should be able to tell ourselves how we came to where we are now”, he said.
Aliyiu also said that his state and others in the region have oil deposit. According to him, “Niger state has oil, gold and solid minerals” hence, the region and other parts of the country endeavour to cme out and discuss “confidently in ensuring justice, equity and fairness”.
“We welcome the conference”, he stated.
The governor insisted that no section of the country should feel intimidated with unfolding events in the country especially the struggle in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) adding “if the PDP goes well, Nigeria will go well.”
He urged his fellow northerners to remain steadfast and avoid fears for their situation in the country.