PROF ANGO ABDULLAHI TO EMIR SUNUSI
“With due respect to the Emir of Kano, the statement he made was misleading and misrepresentation of facts about the true state of northern Nigeria. You see, what I have been saying for a long time is that the North HAS ADVANTAGE OVER OTHER PARTS of Nigeria in terms of population, proportion and resources. What I am saying is that Northern Nigeria SHOULD WAKE UP TO ITS CHALLENGES LIKE OTHER PART of the Nigeria. Of course, every part of Nigeria has its peculiar challenges and problems in terms of development likewise Nigeria as whole. I am an ADVOCATE of DIVIDING Nigeria at the different levels and I DISAGREE with the Emir’s position.”
“The North SUSTAINED and CAN STILL SUSTAIN this country…, The greatest ADVANTAGE of the North over other regions is that 75 per cent of land in Nigeria comes from North; agriculture contributes 45 per cent of the GDP against oil, which contributes 14 per cent. Apart from the foreign exchange which oil provides, which in fact has always been stolen by the leaders, there is nothing much to talk about. Presently, there is potential of oil in many parts of Northern Nigeria. Let me tell you that oil money is idle money, which Nigeria has not worked for. The only place where there is availability of work is the North because it produces a greater percentage of the FOOD WE EAT as well as THOSE USED BY SOME OF OUR INDUSTRIES. In any case, there are countries that said they are not moving forward and decided that the best thing to do was to divide. So, what is wrong in dividing the country?”
“You see, the Emir of Kano is a VERY YOUNG MAN; he SHOULD GO and READ the HISTORY of Nigeria. He is an economist; he needs to go and do a little more RESEARCH IN TERMS of FACTORS for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. North POSSESSES ALL WHAT IT TAKES to DEVELOP FASTER NOW.”
“Northern Nigeria has land, population and CAN GENERATE CAPITAL. His views are his own, not that of northerners. I believe many northerners would disagree with him. There are many documented research that northern Nigerian SUSTAINED THE ENTIRE Nigeria state from 1914 up to 1974… If one tells me that there has been irresponsible leadership in the North, I can accept that. But that one is a universal problem in Nigeria today.”
– Prof Ango Abdullahi
