Chinelo Obogo
 
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has said that the utterances from the Northern Governors Forum(NGF) defending the controversial social media bill and condemning the EndSARS protesters are divisive and insensitive.
 
 
The forum said this after an emergency meeting it held in Abuja on Wednesday, November 4, insisting that going forward, governors from the core northern states will no longer dictate to the rest of the country.
 
In a communique signed by the 32 leaders in attendance including Edwin Clark, Senator Bassey Henshaw, Afenifere chieftain, Ayo Adebanjo, Yinka Odumakin, Ohanaeze President John Nwodo, Guy Ikokwu, former Anambra State governor, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Middle Belt Forum chairman, Pogu Bitrus, the forum said it will no longer tolerate a situation where a section of the country will be lording it over other sections.
 
It warned that if the issue of inequality is not addressed, it would have no other choice than to explore other options.
 
“An emergency meeting of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders was held on Wednesday, November 4, in Abuja  on some urgent business of national importance, the central one being the meeting of Northern States governors  with  Emirs, Chiefs and Arewa leaders in topmost positions in  the current regime held on Monday, November 2. 
 
 
“The meeting coming aftermath of the EndSARS protest when we should be putting heads together nationally to seek solutions to our problems is most distractive, divisive and made Nigeria widely scattered as against the “indivisibility ‘ and other non-sequitors that were regurgitated at the end of it.
 
“Where would this country be heading to if we also decide to call our own meeting with our governors and top officials in the Federal Government? We do not see any responsibility displayed by those who have been serially accused  of sectionalising our national government to allow such  insensibility, insensitivity and total subversion of the unity of the country that only exists on the  lips of those behind  the meeting.
 
“It not also lost on us that the communique of the  meeting was making space for National Executive Council nominations to a sectional initiative as the utmost level of disregard to the rest of the country whom they are treating as serfs when we are supposed to joint and equal stakeholders in project Nigeria. 
 
“We wonder the quality of humanity of  any group meeting  at this period of mourning not to  have a word of compassion for those that were  murdered by state forces and hired thugs during the protests. We reject the indecent approach to paint the peaceful protesters  in dark colors. 
 
“They  made their demands clear and were orderly before the violent Nigerian state deployed armed soilders and thugs in 911 lorries  against them. 
It is wickedness to place “our power” above every other national interest by playing the “regime change” label on the peaceful protesters who were not armed like Boko Haram that the regime is chasing about with negotiations in the same spirit it has been cuddling and pampering killer herdsmen.
 
“We do not see the thougtfulness in the celebration of Northern youths not participating in EndSARS protests as if they did not also loot like their deprived young people in other areas of the country which shows they are suffering the same thing. 
 
” We foresaw all that is happening now, which is why we have been calling for restructuring as a multi – ethic country like Nigeria can only be run along federal lines. We were not oblivious of the damage the military did to this country by using fiat to create LGAs with headquarters in the villages of top shots mostly from the North. Kano state today has 44 Local Governments and Bayelsa has 80.When you want to recruit 10 policemen per LGA Bayelsa will have 80  and Kano 44O.That affects where the materials to be drawn into SARS and others are drawn.The inequality multiplies everywhere and this is why we insist on restructuring of the country now before we go for any national election. 
 
“We make it abundantly clear to our colleagues from the core North that yesterday ended last night and never shall this country be run the same old way. No section of the country can play any supremacist role again as if the rest of us are fools. 
 
“It is either we live together as equals under the same rules of engagement or we explore other options as dignified human beings. We deeply mourn with all families who lost dear ones in the crisis we just went through and pray to God to comfort them. May those who wantonly destroyed lives pay grievously for their deeds,” the communique read.