Posted by By PAUL ORUDE, Bauchi on
Minister of Internal Affairs during the Second Republic, Dr Ibrahim Tahir, has condemned the handing over of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon by the Federal Government, describing it as a painful experience that would haunt the nation for a long time to come.
Minister of Internal Affairs during the Second Republic, Dr Ibrahim Tahir, has condemned the handing over of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon by the Federal Government, describing it as a painful experience that would haunt the nation for a long time to come.
Tahir, who is the Talban Bauchi, stated this during the zonal meeting of the North East and South at the Zaranda Hotel, Bauchi, at the weekend.
He reasoned that contrary to the views in some quarters that the area had no oil, Bakassi had one of the freshest, deepest water lakes in the world as well as one of the oil rich areas in the country.
He lamented the inability of Nigerians and the media to express their views enough on the issue of the handover, saying the media in particular would have used its influence to propagate the implication of losing Bakassi to Cameroon.
Speaking on privatization, Tahir criticized the immediate past President Olusegun Obsanjo administration for embarking on privatization without educating the public on its importance and disadvantages.
The former minister expressed concern over the increase rate of poverty in Nigeria, saying that majority of the people could not afford to feed themselves and family.
'This situation must change because Nigeria is abundantly blessed. So I challenge our leaders to work towards improving the living standard of the common man,' Tahir said.