Former Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland and one of the founding members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande has declared that there is no place called middle-belt in Nigeria, adding that ‘North is north.’
Kwande, who is a member of the Northern Elders Forum, insisted that the North remains one, while noting that the current chairman of the forum is from the so-called middle-belt.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Sun, the former Ambassador said, “Forget about what some people are saying that there is nothing like one North anymore. Following the death of Maitama Sule, who was the former chairman of the forum, a new chairman has been appointed in person of Paul Unongo who is from the Middle Belt.
“So, what are you saying? I can categorical tell you that we are one in the North. If I may ask, have you ever seen any office of these Middle Belt groups anywhere in places they refer to as Middle Belt?
“The Northern Elders Forum will soon meet to discuss restructuring, whether to support it or not. But the expression of one of us should not be generalised; personal opinion or idea should not be taken as that of the Northern Elders Forum.
“Members of the forum meet regularly to analyse and come up with position that will be of help to the North and the entire country.
“Recently, various Middle Belt groups met in Abuja and came up with a position that they were not part of the North. What do you make of statements like this when your forum and others in the North are claiming one North?
“Then what are you going to say about three or four pressure groups in the South-West? They have different groups and we also have different groups in the North. But the Middle Belt is part of the North. Some of the advocates of Middle Belt went as far as claiming that places like Zuru in Kebbi State, Gwoza in Adamawa State, among others, are part of the Middle Belt.
“The core Middle Belt states are Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, and Kwara. Go and ask these people called leaders of these Middle Belt groups where is the boundary of Middle Belt? You see them referring to places in Kebbi, Adamawa and other places in the North-East and North-West as Middle Belt. So, there is the need for a clear definition of Middle Belt. But you can see the sign of Northern unity in the appointment of Paul Unongo as chairman of Northern Elders Forum.
“When we had the constitutional conference, delegates advanced the idea of restructuring. Government is a continuous thing. We have to move; we just have to keep developing as a country. Even now, there are people in the North that don’t believe in restructuring. The most important is to examine critically I there is any good thing about restructuring or consider the advantage. Like Nnamdi Kanu said he wants Biafra, are you telling me it is everybody in the South-East that wants Biafra? Certainly not.
“Many Nigerians see the position of Northern Elders Forum concerning the quit notice issued by Arewa Youths as too critical and capable of escalating the issue on ground. As member of the forum, don’t you think the outburst of your organization, especially the spokesperson, Professor Ango Abdullahi, could further deepen the disaffection?”
