KEY POINTS

• Kwankwaso accuses Lagos of interferce in Kano emirate affairs and says so during his talk.
• Charges of economic imperialism to Lagos at the detriment of other northern states.
• NNPP leader wants Northern Lawmakers to be on the lookout for policies that are likely to harm them

The 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has accused Lagos of trying to “colonise” the northern part of the country.

In his speech at the convocation ceremony of Skyline University, Kano, Kwankwaso ranted that Lagos was intruding into emirate affairs of Kano and was centralizing even the economic resources at the disadvantage of the northern states.

Projections: interference and economic domination

Kwankwaso further accused the state of playing a direct influence in Kano’s emirate tussle by fingering whom they wanted as the Emir of Kano.

“Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to place his or her owns emir,” Toju explained further.

He also accused Lagos’s government of levying taxes on firms in northern Nigeria and then retaining the funds with Lagos.

“This government collects even the taxes from the telephones registered here in Kano but they are taken to Lagos,” Kwankwaso said and used headers in northern factories and banks headers being relocated to Lagos which he said reduce the northern economic base.

Increasing inequality and the law

Kwankwaso was unhappy with the rising economic inequality in Nigeria and also other policies that deepen poverty in the North. “This is making the poor poorer and the rich richer and this is dangerous he pointed out.

The NNPP leader encouraged northern legislators to be guard against any policy that is likely to prejudice the region in the country.

He provided examples of previous legislative sessions in which the legislators received money to pass certain unfavourable laws, which lamented affected the Northern and national economies.

“That is why we saw the offshore laws of 1999- 2000 harm the northern economy. As such, our lawmakers must not go the same way,” he warned.

Call for regional unity

In his last statement Kwankwaso urged the regional leaders fight for the protection of northern Nigeria.

This is why it is important that our representatives do not let convenient pass policies that are destructive to our people and economy,” he said, should focus more on inequality and protectionism against regionalism.