Former Governor of Niger State Babangida Aliyu has said some northerners made it difficult for former President Goodluck Jonathan to defeat Boko Haram.
In an interview with Punch, he said at the time, some persons in the region misconstrued Jonathan’s position on the war against insurgents as political.
“When Boko Haram started and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan’s government started doing something about it, it fell on former President Jonathan to carry on.”
“Many northerners misconstrued his (Jonathan) position at that time and for political purposes, they threw many arguments that made it impossible for the proper articulation and proper implementation of policies that would have got rid of Boko Haram and now, we still have them till today.
He also stated that governors should also bear part of the responsibilities as far as insecurity is concerned. Aliyu believed that if the governors from 2015 had put proper measures in place, the north would have won the war against banditry and other criminalities.
He regrets the fact that roads in the northern states are no longer safe for users. He recalled the good old days when people would sleep in the day time so that they can drive at night when there would be less traffic.
“I believe if the governors had really done a lot from 2015 to date, we would have got rid of the banditry but today, it’s so unfortunate that you probably have to be praying when you leave Abuja for Kaduna or Kaduna to Abuja or indeed, particularly in the northern states.
“Any road that you follow, you probably need a lot of prayers and this is contrary to the position before where many of us were driving from one place to the other, used to sleep in the daytime so we can drive at night when there will be less traffic, less noise.”
Meanwhile, Aliyu recently said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the best candidate the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) can put forward for the 2023 presidential election.
He describes Osinbajo as the only candidate that knows the country and has the acceptance of everyone across every region.
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