Kaduna State Chapter of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), has expressed happiness with the President of Senate of Nigeria, Sen. Godswill Akpabio for suspending the confirmation of the nominated members of the Board of North- West Development Commission (NWDC) during the Senate plenary session of 19th November, 2024......READ THE FULL STORY>>.....READ THE FULL STORY>>
They also thanked the entire Senate and Senators for not kicking against the suspension of the exercise, probably feeling the tense atmosphere in Southern Kaduna and Southern Kebbi over the one-sided nominations of the board by President Bola Tinubu.
This was contained in a statement signed by the chairman, Kaduna of the Forum, Mr. Luka Binniyat, on Sunday and media available to newsmen in Kaduna.
“We believe that the development is a result of garish and palpable unfairness against the large numbers of citizens in scores of Local Government Areas (LGAs) that are in the Middle Belt in Southern Kaduna and in Southern Kebbi.
“We want to plead with the Senators representing the Middle Belt senatorial zones in Southern Kaduna and Southern Kebbi to further intensify their lobby not only with their colleagues but with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This is also a wake-up call to our top traditional leaders, top clergy, academics and leaders of thought from the Middle Belt, including our friends from outside to join their voices in pointing out to the President the shocking exclusion of Christians in the 10-man Board.
“Not a single Christian is included.
It is very possible that the President is yet to come to grasp with the Middle Belt in terms of its demography and geography.
“The Middle Belt of Nigeria is defined as all parts of the defunct Northern Nigeria that were not ruled or conquered by the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kanem Borno empire in pre-colonial Nigeria.
“The North Central Zone is far smaller than the Middle Belt, which spans 14 states in the “19 Northern” states including the FCT.
For clarity, Southern Kebbi and Southern Kaduna fall under the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
“Southern Kaduna has a landmass of 26,000 sq. km with an estimated population of over 5 million, predominantly Christian. Southern Kaduna has 12 LGAs out of Kaduna state’s 23 LGAs, indicating that the Middle Belt’s part of Kaduna State has more land area than the Northern part.
“Kano state, with a landmass of only 20,000 sq. km, has been divided into 44 LGAs. In Kebbi state, of its 37,699 sq. km landmass a large chunk of it is in the Middle Belt, including the Zuru Emirate.
“Given their significant land size, population, and – educated, skilled, and professionally advanced individuals – Southern Kebbi and Southern Kaduna cannot in all fairness be overlooked in appointments to such a weighty commission.
The President’s appointments which we are hopeful to see him adjust to include us, are as follows:
– Haruna Ginsau (Jigawa) – Chairman, – Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji (Kano), – Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer
– Dr. Yahaya Namahe (Sokoto) – Member, – Aminu Suleiman (Kebbi) – Member, – Tijani Kaura (Zamfara) – Member, – Abdulkadir Usman (Kaduna) – Member, – Muhammad Wudil (Kano) – Member, – Shamsu Sule (Katsina) – Member and
– Nasidi Ali (Jigawa) – Member”, it added.
It also stated that “How can Kano and Jigawa states have two members each, while Southern Kaduna and Southern Kebbi, with a large Christian population, have no representation? Where is diversification and Federal Character principle represented here?
“Our appeal against this exclusion are for the following reasons:
Our perennial marginalization will continue even in staff recruitment and appointment into the commission’s workforce.
“Every member will prioritize his community’s interests, not that of Southern Kaduna and Southern Kebbi. Southern Kaduna and Southern Kebbi have suffered genocidal herdsmen destruction and kidnappings since 2014. Fair resource allocation to ravaged areas is unlikely to reach us without any representation.
“We are happy that the Senate has suspended the confirmation of the Board members of the NWDC allowing the president to do what is just and fair so he can spare us potential conflicts and crises of interest in the Northwest”, it added.
