The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu is making deliberate efforts to extend his hegemonic influence to Northern Nigeria, accusing the Lagos hegemony of plotting to “colonize” the region.
Speaking at the convocation ceremony of Skyline University in Kano, the former Kano State governor accused Lagos of meddling in the emirate affairs of Kano State, as reported by Vanguard
“Let me note our situation here in Kano and indeed northern Nigeria,” Kwankwaso said.
“The emir is just being a stooge at this very difficult time, especially in this part of the country (northern Nigeria).
“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of efforts from the Lagos axis to colonize this part of the country. Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose an emir, Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own emir.”
Kwankwaso expressed concern about economic centralisation, accusing Lagos of draining resources from Kano and other northern states through tax collection and other means.
“Today, we are aware that the Lagos young men are working so hard to impose taxes and take away our taxes from Kano and this part of the country to Lagos. Even the telephones that we make or register here in Kano, efforts are there to take all the taxes to Lagos.
“Even our sons and daughters who have brought factories—many of them here in Kano and northern Nigeria—and even banks, somehow, they are forced to take their headquarters to Lagos because taxes will now have to go to Lagos.”
Kwankwaso also raised concerns about the growing economic disparity between the rich and the poor, warning of its dangerous implications for the nation.
“We have seen the efforts of some people to make the poor poorer and the rich richer, and I believe this is more dangerous,” he added.
He called on northern lawmakers to remain vigilant and resist policies that could harm the region’s interests.
“At this moment, I would like to call all our National Assembly members to keep their eyes open so that they don’t do anything that would cheat the people of northern Nigeria, especially here, Kano,” he said.
Reflecting on past legislative actions, Kwankwaso accused lawmakers of being bribed during the 1999-2000 period to pass laws that negatively impacted the northern economy.
“We are witnesses to what happened during the first term, 1999 to 2000, where our members of the National Assembly were bribed, were treated into collecting huge sums of money to support offshore in this country. That law put a huge blow into our economy not only here in northern Nigeria but all other states,” Kwankwaso argued.
