The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has said that the south has continued to vilify the north and at some point killed its leaders.
These assertions were made by the spokesperson, CNG, Abdul-Azeez Sulaiman, in an interview with Vanguard.
“They have vilified the North in the process, killed its leaders at some point, continue to scandalize its institutions and ridicule its traditions and customs,” Sulaiman said.
He said argued that although the north had existing issues, it remained respectful of elites from other regions, as it had remained a target of abuse and accusations.
Sulaiman noted that the activities of southerners undermined the economic and social fabrics of the north while encouraging social vices such as armed robbery, kidnapping, and substance abuse.
He said, “But we are concerned that while the North too has many issues with the operations of the Nigerian state, and does not routinely insult and blame elites from other regions for them, its self-appointed enemies and antagonists, have willy-nilly, made it the target of accusations and abuse for everything that is wrong with Nigeria since independence, with history being shamefully and blatantly reviewed, rewritten and falsified to suit certain agenda that aims to portray the North in a bad light.
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“The loudest advocates of the twin agitations of restructuring and secession have accused the North of committing every sin under the sun excepting perhaps natural disasters or Force Majeure.
“They have under various guises tried to bring down the North by suggesting and insisting on warped reforms aimed at destroying its institutions, undermining its economic and social fabrics, and encouraging rampant poverty, and the current social problems like armed robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, drug and substance abuse.”
Open Grazing
He accused the south of its prejudices, following the resolution of southern governors to effect the ban on open grazing from September.
Sulaiman said that the initiative introduced by the Federal Government was to reestablish grazing routes lost to urbanisation and “harmful policies”.
He said, “We most certainly see the initiative by government to reclaim the grazing routes lost to urbanization and harmful policies as an appropriate response if the people of the South would be willing to put away their pent-up prejudices.”
The group urged the Federal Government to set up a National Pastoralist Commission (NPC) that would cater to the interests of individuals whose livelihoods “depend on livestock rearing”.
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