January 26, 2014

Northern Politicians Want To Incite The North Against President Jonathan - Maku

Labaran Maku, the Minister of Information, has condemned those politicians who make provocative statements, saying they want to incite the North against the administration and person of President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The Minister spoke in his office during a courtesy call by a political awareness group, the Goodluck/Sambo National Organisation of Ulama Media Forum.

Mr. Maku observed that some politicians use the media to make their statements against the President.

"People who call themselves politicians, they will go to radio stations, go to television stations and make dangerous statements, which will create confusion, create hatred, which will set people against each other, which will incite violence.

"This is what we have been witnessing in the North since 2011. Beginning with 2011 elections, we have continued to witness this unfortunate tendency from leaders, not all leaders, some leaders among us who are always inciting people.

"You will recollect that during the 2011 general elections, especially presidential election, people tried to turn the election into a religious war," the Minister noted.

Mr. Maku recalled that people lost their lives and property just supporting the President in 2011 election, and said the trend must cease to exist.

"All these violence going on now in the North, it's Northerners that are dying mostly. If you say you love your house, you will not go and cause confusion in your house or set it on fire," the Minister observed.

"Since independence, we have more Northerners ruling Nigeria and people did not cause trouble because we were ruling.

"Whenever we were President, whether military head of state or civilian, the Southerners did not say Let there be war because some Northerners are ruling or Let us raise a religious war or Let's create confusion in the country. We ruled and ruled and ruled and they cooperated with us".

He denied the allegation that President Jonathan is 'anti-North' by pointing out that the North is developing "far better" now than at the times when Northeners ruled Nigeria. He named a number of projects situated in the North.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57571.html