Tunde Thomas
The Middle Belt Forum has described members of the Coalition of Northern Groups led by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman as daydreamers for declaring that the North won’t recognize Middle Belt as a separate entity.
Spokesman of the forum, Dr. Dogo Isuwa told Saturday Sun that Suleiman and members of the coalition are jesters and clowns. He said that anybody still thinking that the Middle Belt is still part of the North is living in a fool’s paradise.
His words: “It is a free world. Suleiman is free to say anything but clearly he is suffering from illusion if he thinks or declares that Middle Belt is still part of the North. Which North is he talking about? His own North? Middle Belt is an independent, separate entity. We don’t need the North. Let the North or Suleiman’s own North stand on its own. We, people of the Middle Belt don’t want any relationship with the North.
We can relate as neighbours but never, never again, I repeat we are not interested in any union with the North.’’ Wondering why the North is desperate to have relationship with the Middle Belt, Isuwa said: “Why this desperation by the North? We, in the Middle Belt say we don’t want to have anything to do with you; why not mind your own business, and leave us on our own? The fact is this, and which the North also knows, without the Middle Belt, the North is finished. But the point again is this, the North has been exploiting and oppressing the people of the Middle Belt, but now, we have removed the yoke of the oppression of the North, and this is why we’ve declared that we don’t want to have anything to do with the North again, and our decision is irreversible.’’