North-East Summit Flops : Governors boycott meeting

The summit was meant to inaugurate seven action committees to work out solutions to the problems bedeviling the sub-region.   The summit was postponed midway after the Special Guest of Honour, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd) has drawn the attention of the gathering that the absence of the governors at the meeting could not allow […]

The summit was meant to inaugurate seven action committees to work out solutions to the problems bedeviling the sub-region.

 

The summit was postponed midway after the Special Guest of Honour, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd) has drawn the attention of the gathering that the absence of the governors at the meeting could not allow for its continuation as they are constitutionally the chief security officers of their respective states and insecurity is the biggest challenge facing the North-east.

General Danjuma advised the meeting be postponed pending when the governors are brought on board.

The former Defence Minister revealed the governors’ absence was as a result of their suspicion that the meeting had some political undertones as against addressing the myriad problems bedeviling the sub region.

General Danjuma said: “Initially, I was told that all the six governors of the sub region will attend the inauguration but three days ago, one of them called me and told me that all of them have resolved not to come and even advised me to stay away because there’s a hidden agenda.”

He said based on this advice,  he went back to review all the documents regarding the forum and read the minutes of its meetings, adding, “I am not in a position to pass judgment but this development has created doubt in my mind regarding the motive of the Forum. I therefore suggest that this meeting should be adjourned immediately and be reconvened at a later date when we would have been able to persuade the governors to join us in this noble undertaken.”

However, Gen. Danjuma advised that the security committee should be inaugurated instantly due to its importance, while the inauguration of the other six committees should wait for the appropriate time.

The other committees to be inaugurated at the later are contact and finance, economy, education, political, constitutional review and publicity.

“I suggest that the security committee when inaugurated should approach and persuade the governors to be a part of the Forum,” Gen. Danjuma stressed.

Meanwhile, the former Army Chief disassociated himself from the last paragraph in the speech of the convener of the Forum, Alhaji Muhammadu Bello Kirfi, Wazirin Bauchi who said that the North East would break away from Nigeria if the Federal Government continued to marginalize the region.

He said “I would like to dissociate  myself from the concluding part of Bello Kirfi speech  which he said, ”In fact we must as a matter of obligation carry it out to its logical conclusion even  if need be by pulling out of Nigeria, We must take our destiny into our hands.”

According to Danjuma, Kirfi’s statement “has serious ambiguity and a weighty declaration to make. As someone who went to the war front and survived it, I must warned that this statement be withdrawn immediately.”

Having realized the implication of Kirfi’s statement, Chairman of the occasion, Mallam Adamu Ciroma,  quickly came to the podium and announced that the statement had been withdrawn, a move that elicited applause and in compliance Kirfi swiftly announced the withdrawal of the statement but stressed it was “for the meantime.”

The Forum was convened by Alhaji Kirfi, a one-time Minister of Establishment, to address the problems of insecurity and economic underdevelopment in the sub-region.

The meeting which was held at the Multi-Purpose Indoor Sports Hall, Bauchi, attracted prominent elders and politicians from the region including General Danjuma, Malam  Adamu Ciroma, former Secretary to the Federal Government, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, Professor Jibril Aminu, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Professor Ango Abdullahi,  Adamu Maina Waziri, former FCT ministers, Bunu Sheriff and Aliyu Modibbo,

Others include Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi, Senator Aisha Alhassan, former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Inna Maryam Ciroma, Emir of Fika, Alhaji Muhammadu Idrissa, former Education Minister, Alhaji Dauda Birma, among other prominent North East leaders.