Kwankwaso
….terrorism in the North is about struggle for control of mineral resources
Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, today Wednesday mocked his rival, Peter Obi the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) saying he is a creation of the media.
Speaking at the Chattam House dialogue with Presidential aspirants,
Kwankwaso said that Obis perceived popularity is a function of media hype.
He said that the terror rocking the North West and North East sprang from the struggle over mineral resources.
The NNPP candidate submitted further that he was more qualified than Obi to become the next President of Nigeria.
The NNPP candidate also said he withdrew from the discussion of alliance with the LP because the party was “carried away by media hype” and built on “ethnicity and religion”.
Citing his qualifications, the former Governor of Kano said he was ready for discussions with any Presidential Candidate whose qualifications bettered his own.
“I’m a PhD holder in civil engineering. I check your candidate for what he has. I have been in the system for over 30 years now. I was a civil servant for 17 years. I wasn’t a trader,” he said.
“I was Deputy Speaker of the House in 1992; I was in the constitutional conference of elected delegates. I was Governor of Kano State for eight years. I was in the Senate. If anyone wants Kwankwaso to withdraw, let’s bring criteria and select the best
“Anytime I have a better candidate, I’m ready to talk to him. If you have a party, which is based on ethnicity and religion, that is the difference between the Labour Party and our party, which is a national party.”
Kwankwaso, former Defence Minister, said people within and outside Nigeria were “stealing” the mineral resources, hence the fighting in the regions.
He said, “In Nigeria we have to have a reward system and a punishment system because right now everything goes.
“In Kano when I was Governor, nobody would go out to tax one naira. For eight years when I was in power we did not borrow one kobo, all that I did in Kano was from state resources, that’s why some people then will be asking how we’re getting the money.”
He continued, “Don’t forget, right now as we’re sitting here, instead of 2.2 million barrels of oil, we (Nigeria) are producing just around 1 million to 1.2 million barrels, the remaining 1 million is being stolen by some people. Where are the people? Who are the people? That’s why we need to stop them.
“The fighting in the North West and even the North East is mainly because of mineral resources, people are stealing it from Nigeria and outside Nigeria, including gold and other resources.
“That has got to stop. All these assets must be taken over by the government and be utilised for all of us.”
He added further that the country’s current realities are the culmination of over two decades of leadership mistakes and wrong choices.
He said, “We can point fingers at all sorts of factors allegedly responsible for our situation, from coronavirus to global economic recession, from western powers to international capital, etc.
“But for me, we are where we are because of the mistakes and the wrong choices made by the very people entrusted with the business of governing Nigeria in the last 24 years.”
