Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a northern politician and former governor of Kano State, has alleged that a group he refers to as the “Lagos axis” is attempting to impose a hegemony over northern Nigeria.
Kwankwaso, a former Minister of Defence who ran for president last year with the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), made these comments at a convocation event at Skyline University in Kano on Saturday.
While not explicitly mentioning President Bola Tinubu, his statements may be seen as a reference to Mr. Tinubu, who was governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007 and the de facto political leader of South West zone.
The president has been accused of making lopsided appointments by filling several sensitive and powerful government positions with people from his region.
Kwankwaso alleges that the recent leadership crisis regarding the Emirate in Kano was being used to further the geopolitical interests of the Lagos axis group.
“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of effort from the Lagos axis to colonize this part of the country,” he said.
He criticized the situation, stating, “Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose an emir; Lagos has to come to the center of Kano to put their own emir.” Kwankwaso also accused the Tinubu government of planning to divert taxes collected nationwide to Lagos State to strengthen the economic and industrial dominance of the South West.
“Lagos young men are working so hard to impose taxes and remove our taxes from Kano,” Kwankwaso said. He pointed out that even businesses in Kano are pressured to move their headquarters to Lagos because of this tax policy.
He expressed concern about the “efforts to make the poor poorer and the rich richer”, a situation he believes is particularly “dangerous” for the north.
Mr. Kwankwaso urged lawmakers from the north to avoid allowing “the people of northern Nigeria, especially here in Kano,” to be marginalized. He warned them to be vigilant, saying, “We are witnesses to what happened during the first term, 1999 to 2007, where our members of the National Assembly were bribed.to support the onshore/offshore dichotomy in this country. That law put a huge blow into our economy not only here in northern Nigeria but all other states,”
Kwankwaso’s strange comments may catalyze more scrutiny of the intentions of President Tinubu’s inner political cycle and a debate about the political direction of Nigeria’s multiethnic society.
Comment, Like 👍, share this article, and Follow us on our social media handles.
WhatsApp Channel
Telegram Channel
