‘North is at war with itself because Northern leaders politicized insecurity’

From Abel Abogonye, Lafia

The former minister of information, Labaran Maku has blamed the incessant killings in the north to insincerity of her greedy leaders.

The All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA) scribe made this known in his Christmas message at his Wakma village in Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa State.

In his address Maku lamented that the north is currently at war with itself.

“The war going on in the entire north today started in Nasarawa in February, 2001 when so called unknown gunmen murdered some Tiv people.

“The killing trend moved to somewhere in Taraba, then later to plateau and Kaduna and spread to other parts of the north. Today the entire north is at full blown war”, Maku narrated.

Maku noted that the reason why the killing could not be stopped was because leaders in the north politicized everything including religion and tribe.

The former minister added that what is worsening the poverty level in the region leading to insecurity is the level at which election results are being bought by some leaders and made to rule over people who did not vote them into power.

Maku explained that where political office holders do not love and put first the interest of the people they are leading, the consequence is what is seen in most states in the north.

“In a poor state like Nasarawa only one is person is taking N300million every month as security vote. Calculate that in one year that is N3.6billion every year, then multiply that in four years or eight years.

“That is the insincerity we are talking about. How can one person be taking N300million every month as security vote and yet people are being killed, farmers cannot go to their farms and nobody is arrested”, Maku lamented.

Maku however noted that with N300million over two thousand youths can be employed, thirty cottage poultries can be established where young people can be employed and paid sumptuously.

He called on citizens not to lose hope but continue to pray to God to give wisdom to leaders to make decisions that would change the present predicaments.