According to Vanguard reports, the
youths also described Dangote as “final destination where every corrupt
government official dump their public treasury loot.”
It was learnt that the coalition has
the memberships of the six northern youth groups which about three weeks ago
issued a quit notice to the Igbos residing in the North with October 1st
deadline to leave the northern states.
The groups comprising of Arewa Youth
Consultative Forum led by Alhaji Yerima Shittima; Arewa Citizens Action for
Change led by Nastura Sharif; Arewa Youth Development Foundation led by Aminu
Adam; Arewa Students Forum led by Alfred Solomon; Northern Emancipation Network
led by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman as well as Northern Youth Vanguard led by Joshua
Viashman.
The youth which comes under the
umbrella name as “Coalition of Northern Groups”, CNG, accused Aliko Dangote of
working against the cause of Northern region, maintaining that he “can only
boast of a very negligible presence by way of investment even in his
birthplace, Kano while citing more than 70% in the South.”
In a statement titled: “In Response
to Aliko Dangote’s Ranting”, signed by the spokesman of the group, Abdul-Azez
Suleiman and released yesterday in Abuja…the youths said that they were not stunned
that the business mogul took a parallel direction with other notable northerners
such as Professor Ango Abdulahi in the quit notice threat because of his poor
education or religious training.
Insisting on their belief, the
youths maintained that “Kaduna Declaration has finally exposed the bankruptcy
of many northerners such as Dangote, who have becomes traitors following riding
on the goodwill of the region’s past leaders who sacrificed everything to bequeath
a fair environment to future generations.”
Dangote while hosting Lagos Business
School in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos recently was quoted as saying “some guys who have
no relevance and values came out to issue a warning that Igbo should leave
north. I am surprised everybody started talking about this nonsense."
"Why are we talking about it?
Obviously, in a place where there is a lot of joblessness, it is expected that
this kind of jobless people would come with all sorts of anger. We understand
the reason why they are angry, but they cannot justify their action when they
have decided not to work. They only issue senseless warning to keep themselves
relevant”.
The group’s statement read in part:
“The Coalition of Northern Groups would ordinarily not have bothered to respond
to inconsequential criticisms coming from people like Aliko Dangote but for the
fact that they may assume some importance within the context of northern
leadership”.
“We all know that Dangote and all
those that appear uncomfortable with our Kaduna Declaration are those who
thrive from condescending against northerners and the northern values”.
“They represent a pack of scavengers
who would readily negotiate the general interest of their people in order to
cover up their dirty sources of wealth and fame”.
“In particular, Dangote has never
been and can never be among genuine northern patriots and therefore his support
for, or opposition to anything that tends to serve the interest of the region
and its people are inconsequential and are not expected”.
“If anything, Dangote is no more
than a moral liability to the cultured north having become the final
destination where every corrupt government official dump their public treasury
loot”.
“He is therefore morally liable
along with other Igbo accomplices for the economic hardship wrought on Nigeria
in the past 25 years”.
“We are therefore not surprised that
Dangote should openly oppose this course that is endorsed by all well-meaning
northerners and the likes of Professor Ango Abdullahi and several other secular
and religious scholars of note”.
“This is because Dangote is never
known to have had any form of conventional education or religious training
before venturing into dubious money-making schemes”.
“He is also not expected to support
anything North because in the pursuit of wealth, he has come to develop an
endemic hatred for his northern kith which exposes why, as the richest man in
Africa, Dangote can only boast of a very negligible presence by way of
investment even in his birthplace, Kano while citing more than 70% in the South”.
“Most importantly, we are very much
proud that we are only “jobless’ as claimed by Dangote, but then, none of us
has the record of ever being involved in drug peddling or currency
counterfeiting”.
“All our lives, since childhood, we
have never been found wanting in any money-worshipping venture to the point of
criminally peddling hard drug and, or forging hard currency”.
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