The Oasis Reporters

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

The days of the far north putting the north central into their political calculus may seem to be over as the National President of Middle Belt Youth Forum, Comrade Pius Attah, has said that the region would vehemently resist any attempt by their counterparts in the far north to thwart the chances of former Senate President, David Mark from contesting the 2019 presidential election.

He noted that the Middle Belt, which comprises of the North Central geopolitical zone has suffered neglect and marginalization with the recently released list of political appointees by the presidency.

Comrade Attah stated this recently during a press conference in Jos and insisted that the Middle Belt should be given the chance in the north to produce the president in 2019.

“We in the Middle Belt are suffering political marginalization from our counterparts in the far north. This is evident with the recent released list of political appointees by the presidency and the region has the least among other geopolitical zones in the country.

He stressed that when the north is looking for vote during the election, they assume that the 19 northern states are together but when it come to political appointments and what will benefit the region, the Middle Belt is neglected after labouring.

He called on youths in the South-South, South-East, South-West and North East to support the presidential ambition of the Middle Belt in North Central so that they will also support them when they indicate interest.

Comrade Attah expressed disappointment with President Buhari for his inability to address the Fulani/herdsmen clashes in Benue and Plateau States where several lives have been lost.

It will be recalled that ever since the end of military rule in 1979, each time the north presents a president or vice president for Nigeria, the candidate would more often than not, be Muslim of Fulani extraction in a region with over 250 ethnic groups.
Many commentators also say that a lot of the leaders have served with a monumental lack of distinction, serving only a linear and selfish tribal or religious agenda and failing to unite the nation to be one people.

They point to Shehu Shagari as the first post military rule president of Nigeria in 1979 who is Fulani Muslim from Sokoto state and it was he that introduced land mass as a criteria for revenue sharing to benefit his vast region to the detriment of smaller states that provide the wealth of the nation.
Whereas other countries make land mass productive, Shagari believed that unutilized land abundance should collect more federal revenue.

The next civilian leader from the north was Umaru Yar’adua.
He was unfortunately too ill to make any profound impact. He was also Muslim and Fulani from Katsina state in the far north.

After him came Muhammadu Buhari, also Muslim Fulani from the far northern state of Katsina. All his appointments have favoured his people and under him, Fulani herdsmen terrorists have taken their murderous intentions upon middle belt people and southerners to a despicable level, without being reined in, all in a bid to seize the ancestral lands of other people.

All the vice-presidents to presidents of southern extraction have incidentally been Fulani as well.
Atiku Abubakar served President Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007.
For the five years of the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, his vice president was Namadi Sambo, also a Fulani from Kaduna state.

The largely Christian middle belt in the north is asserting it’s right to the presidency having supported others from other regions.

Additional reporting from :
Breaking Times

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