London Protest Against Buhari, An Attack On The North – Matawalle
The Zamfara State Governor, H.E Bello Muhammad Matawalle has described the recent protest by Nigerians in disaporar against the medical vacation of President Muhammad Buhari in U.K as an attack on the North
You will recall that in March, it was announced that the president traveled out of the country for another medical check-up.
The news of this year Buhari’s trip to the UK for medical reasons triggered unpleasant reactions by Nigerians home and abroad which led to continuous protest abroad especially now that Nigerian doctors are on yet to be resolved industrial strike.
Checking records, since Buhari came on board as President in 2015, his travelling to the UK for medical reasons has been an annual event.
The recent medical vacation of the president also arouse the statistics and economy sense of Nigerians which made them to be questioning the billions budgeted and allocated to the Aso Rock clinic.
In a statement duly signed by Mattawalle and made available to state house press, he made references on different attacks in the south. He referred to Shasha market saga, the last Sunday killings of Northerners in Imo State and others.
The statement signed by Governor Mattawalle reads, “The recent happenings in the country have made it expedient for me, as a political leader and a proud Northerner, to issue this important statement. This is not the time to play politics or to play to the gallery, but a time to tell ourselves the real truth, for the benefit of peace and progress of our country, and to prevent the looming anarchy that some disgruntled, unpatriotic Nigerians want to drag the nation into.
“Considering the manner we play politics in Nigeria, politics without conscience. The public may expect a statement like this to come from a Governor or a leader of the rulling APC, but I choose to make the following statement even as I remain a proud member of the opposition PDP, for the sake of our nation, for peace to reign and in the overall interest of the North.
“So much is happening to the North and to Northerners as individuals. Today, their lives, dignity and possessions are being threatened by the increasingly unfriendly South even as we try, as Northern leaders, to always calm the situation and to protect the interest, businesses and dignity of all Southerners living in the North.
“Despite what Northerners are experiencing today in many parts of the South West and South East in particular, all we hear is the conspiracy of silence from Northern leaders and elites who are supposed to stand firm, in the manner in which other leaders of the South are doing even when they know that their people are at fault. This must not continue.
“As Northern leaders, our dignified silence in the face of constant provocation and assault, because of our desire for peace, must not be taken as a sign of weakness. Indeed no community, or region has the monopoly of violence. If Northerners and their means of livelihood will not be protected, accommodated and be dignified anywhere they choose to stay in any part of the South, Southerners should not expect protection from the North as the North has more than what it takes to respond to any kind of aggression and hatred”.
The Governor further said, “We have seen the destruction, the killings and the devastation recently at “Sasha” Market against Northerners and their economic interests. Properties worth billions of Naira were lost in addition to human lives yet some leaders in the South West are downplaying the atrocities committed or, worst still, justifying it. Some of them have shamefully gone to the extent of apportioning blames on the victims and casualties of their aggression.
“Last Sunday’s killings of innocent Northerners in Imo is one too many and no matter how we love peace, leaders with conscience and fear of God must speak out against this continued barbarism and hatred. We will not take that any longer as NO human life is worthier than another. No business interest is better than another. In fact, in crisis situation, the South has more to lose in terms of its business interests in the North and the strategic nature they established themselves in the North than Northerners living in the South”.
The Governor condemned the protest in strong term and described it as uncivilized, irresponsible and a total display of hatred for Buhari and the North and that the protest is to humilate the President not in the interest of Nigerians.
Governor Bello Mohammed Mattawalle was elected under the platform of the People’s Democractic Party (PDP) and his presently serving his first term in office.
Mattawalle calls on the Northern leaders to summon courage for the North to survive and defend its interest.
