A group of Northern youths recently took to the streets in protest against the incessant deadly threats of insecurity in the region as they demanded an immediate end to the killings in the region. They also lamented the gruesome killing of over 40 bus passengers at Gidan Bawa village in Sokoto State. In this interview with MAYOWA SAMUEL, the Spokesman for the Arewa Consultative Forum, Emmanuel Yawe, expressed disappointment at government’s poor response to the unending killings and on-going protests in the region.
#NorthisBleeding protests kicked-off this past week, as protesters demanded for improved security in the region. How would you rate the reaction and body language of the federal government to these protests so far?
The protest is against insecurity and to be frank, government’s attitude to insecurity generally is very poor. I’m not sure they have the feelings that people have. People feel hurt about the way insecurity is going on in the North. So their body language is just in line with their insensitive feelings. That people in the North trooped out because of this insecurity speaks volume. It is just a pointer to how bad the situation is and the fact that it has affected adversely, almost all aspects of our lives in the North. Be it commerce, be it education, be it agriculture, just name it. It is so bad. What is going on in the North, to say the least, is very disappointing. And I would like to let you know that we are very saddened and the government behaves as if things are normal, no, things are not normal. The fact or the truth is that things are very far from normal. People are suffering a lot. Before you go to the South, you have to pay money; before you harvest, you have to pay money…
Pay money to who?
Bandits and terrorists! They have taken over everywhere in the rural areas and are tormenting the rural populace all over the North. It’s very sad.
“A whole national security is threatened and nobody is behaving as if something serious is happening. Something very serious is happening and government has a responsibility to secure our lives, especially in the North. We are in trouble that we have never been before. We shouldn’t pretend about it because our son is the president. No!
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Rather than protect these protesters against hijackers of these peaceful protests, some security agencies, as it’s their norm, have been busy intimidating these protester and made several arrests of these peaceful protesters. How do you see this action by these agencies?
Well, they arrested some protesters, while they released some. They called some repentant bandits, the whole thing is just sad. How can something like this be going on for this long and the government is saying they don’t know those who are responsible for this kind of insecurity that has gripped a whole region? How can all these be going on and they keep pretending like they don’t know them, they know them.
While these protests are taking place, the president travelled to Turkey without visiting where the latest killings took place…
It’s part of the attitude that we are talking about. Their conduct doesn’t reflect the serious things we face. Not long ago, he traveled with a large entourage to Dubai, it doesn’t show that we are a serious people. Virtually, Nigeria is at war and the posture of government should reflect that. Remember then General Yakubu Gowon, a much younger person, you will never see him draw kinsmen all over the country when we were at war, he never did, he took it as a very serious national assignment, aided by Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory. It was the efforts of these patriots that saw Nigeria remaining one. A whole national security is threatened and nobody is behaving as if something serious is happening. Something very serious is happening and government has a responsibility to secure our lives, especially in the North. We are in trouble that we have never been before. We shouldn’t pretend about it because our son is the president. No!
