Tanko Yakassai speaks on Nigeria's independence attempt in 1953
- Elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, has gone down memory lane
-The Second Republic politician and ACF member made a stunning revelation on Nigeria's first attempt to get independence
- Yakassai said the northern region opposed the motion for Nigeria to be a sovereign state in 1953 because north could not compete with the south
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Mallam Tanko Yakassai, a founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has lifted the lids on why the northern region of the country protested against the motion for Nigeria to be independent in 1956.
The Second Republic politician, making this disclosure in a speech marking his 94th birthday, said the rejection of the motion for Nigeria to be a sovereign state was rejected because of the fear of south dominating the north.
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Legit.ng recalls that motion for independence was raised by Nigeria's foremost anti-colonial and pro-democracy activist, late Anthony Eromosele Enahoro, in 1953.
Enahoro, then a 26-year-old member of the defunct Action Group (AG), said it became necessary for Nigeria to move off the loin of the imperialists, hence his motion which was rejected by the northerners and triggered the historic Kano riot of 1953.
But in his revelation in a piece entitled, “Leadership Question and the Issue of Nigeria’s National Unity,” the nonagenarian said the northern region did not have the resource to compete with south politically.
According to him, the north only had one graduate who was late Dr R.A.B Dikko, a Nigerian doctor who was a former federal commissioner for mines and power.
He stated:
"What I found very disturbing is that such utterances are directed against the unity of our country. Such narratives resembled that of some political leaders way back in 1953 when a member of the defunct Action Group Party introduced a motion in the House of Representatives, asking Britain to grant independence to Nigeria by 1956.
"Another Northern member of the House proposed an amendment to the motion by changing 1956 to as soon as practicable.
“This was because as at 1953, the entire Northern Region, which had 75% of Nigeria’s landmass and about 55% of the country’s population, had only one graduate, Dr R.A.B Dikko."
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Meanwhile, Bukola Saraki, former Senate president, has opened up on why the upper chamber refused to confirm the appointment of some of the names sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Responding to a tweet by a media mogul Dele Momodu on Wednesday, December 30, Saraki, who served as the chairman of the 8th National Assembly (NASS), said the Senate's refusal to confirm Buhari's appointees was "never about a personal agenda."
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, however, said the decision was solely based on the interest of the country.
5 years after, Nigerians speak about Buhari's administration | - on Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
