Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle has dismissed the views of Katsina Elders’ Forum as not reflecting the position and wishes of the people of Northern Nigeria on the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The minister was reacting to the recent threat by the Forum, who issued a warning to President Tinubu over the decision of his administration to relocate some departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos, for effective operations, administration, and prudent resource management.
The issues raised by the Katsina Elders’ Forum include: The relocation of some departments of the CBN; the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport expansion project in Katsina.
The elders, according to several reports, asked the President to reverse the decisions or risk losing the support of the North in the 2027 general election.
However, the minister while travelling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend a world conference for ministers of defence in Riyadh and to perform lesser Hajj told reporters that the threat by Katsina Elders is an empty one.
Matawalle, who is also a former governor of Zamfara State, said the threat was contrived to cause hatred, disunity, and to set Northern Nigeria against their brothers and sisters from other parts of the country.
He said it was wrong for the Elders to make such a wild and mischievous declaration on behalf of Northern Nigeria when they know well enough that it is not the popular view in the region.
The minister emphasised that what Northern Nigeria needs at this time is the security of their lives and property, which President Tinubu is committed to providing.
He also warned that anything capable of truncating the nation’s democracy and setting the North against other regions would not be tolerated by the government.
Matawalle declared that President Tinubu is for all Nigerians and that he has no interest or agenda against any of the six geopolitical zones of the country.
He said the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president is geared towards setting things right for the realisation of maximum economic development, security, and welfare of all Nigerians.
The minister of state for defence also stated the Katsina Elders Forum has no mandate to speak for the North on such sensitive issues.
He said: “Do Katsina Elders have the right to speak on behalf of Northern people? How can the elders who failed to support the President and their own, the former President Muhammadu Buhari to win Katsina State, make such a reckless statement on behalf of Northern people?
“Katsina Elders have forgotten how they betrayed Buhari and President Tinubu by their failure to ensure that President Tinubu wins the majority of votes in their state in the 2023 presidential election.
“Is the protest by Katsina Elders during the 2023 presidential election against former President Muhammadu Buhari who asked them to support President Tinubu not embarrassing enough?
“Did the Elders forget that Allah says, ‘Power belongs to HIM and can give it to whoever HE wishes at anytime HE so desires’?”
Matawalle further asked the elders why they did not ensure that the former President completed the Abuja-Kano-Katsina road and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport extension project before leaving office.
“Yet another question for the Katsina Elders is why they did not warn the former President to stop the carnage against the people of Northern Nigeria when banditry and other security challenges persisted?
“Why were the Elders silent on the failures of their own over terrorism and large-scale corruption?
“Let me also draw the attention of the Katsina Elders’ Forum to fact that when former President Buhari’s Minister of Transportation decided to locate the Transportation University in the former President’s hometown, Daura, other Nigerians did not protest against that decision, as they believed it was in the interest of unity and peaceful coexistence of the country.
“I, therefore, strongly advise the Katsina Elders to think twice and stop heating up the polity, but rather concentrate on what binds Nigerians and Nigeria as an entity for the development of our dear country,” the minister said.
