Posted by By Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe on
As a global referendum fever spreads this week from France to Holland, with citizens of the two countries voting NO against a European Constitution, Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has voted against a 'northern position" in the ongoing constitutional conference, saying it is not in the interest of Nigeria to have a sectional agenda. And he would not be a party to any northern agenda!
As a global referendum fever spreads this week from France to Holland, with citizens of the two countries voting NO against a European Constitution, Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has voted against a 'northern position" in the ongoing constitutional conference, saying it is not in the interest of Nigeria to have a sectional agenda. And he would not be a party to any northern agenda!
Rather than support a northern position, Senator Ali Sheriff says he would opt for a 'Nigerian position."
Speaking to the Saturday Sun in Maiduguri on Monday, during one of the elaborate 10-day activities marking Democracy Day celebrations in the state, he said:
'The National Constitutional Conference is going on, but I want to tell you that there is nothing like northern position. I would like to ask: What is the Nigerian position? To me, that is what is important. Far more important. The Constitutional Conference is for Nigeria and it is for all parts of Nigeria.
'When you start talking of eastern position, northern position, south-south position, you are making it look like we have some insurmountable problems, that people have to take some stiff positions on certain aspects of our corporate existence as a country."
The governor continued: 'I don't think that was the idea behind the constitutional reforms. The idea behind the constitutional reforms is to look at our laws, to look at where we believe we need some modifications, some amendments, to look at where we believe would help Nigeria as a country to function better."
Governor Sheriff recalls recently meeting the northern delegates to the constitutional conference and reminding them that it is the interest of Nigeria rather than sectional interest that should concern them at the conference.
'We met them and thanked them for being in the conference. We told them we would look at what they brought, what position they are proposing and advise accordingly. That goes to tell you that there is nothing sacrosanct about which position to take. Therefore, I don't believe or subscribe to this idea of northern position or northern agenda or whatever.
'You see, my own personal belief is that any Nigerian who has capacity, who has been contributing to the development of Nigeria, wherever he comes from, whether he is from the south, he is from the east, from the south-south, from the north, if you are doing things that Nigerians are benefiting from, such a person should be encouraged.
'I don't believe in this idea of sectionalism, that it has to be in the interest of a section of Nigeria. I don't believe in all those things. I believe in a true, united Nigeria. I believe in a Nigeria that you and I are sitting and we can easily pick our telephones and say, ‘Look my brother, what do you think about this idea? What do you think we should do in moving Nigeria forward at this conference? Which aspect of our constitution is problematic to us?'
'This is what I believe should concern us as Nigerians, not issues of sectional interest. For me, Nigeria's interest should override any other sectional or sectarian interest."
The governor said that such was his belief and commitment to unity that he would fight with his last pint of blood to ensure its preservation of the Nigerian entity.
He did not take kindly to the American soothsayers who are predicting that Nigeria would come apart in the next fifteen years.
'Nigeria will never disintegrate," he said. 'I strongly believe that Nigeria will be a stronger country than ever. We will not disintegrate. Wherever they got their analysis from, I believe their analysis will be wrong. Nigeria will never be a disintegrated country.
'All along in our life, we agree to disagree, we disagree to agree. Nigeria never collapsed. Rather, every day we come out stronger. Every country has its problems. Small, small problems. Nigeria will never be an exceptional country.
'That will never happen. There will be small internal problems here and there, but it is a normal part of life. It is a normal part of a developing nation. Even the developed ones have their own problems. I don't believe in that. Nigeria will never disintegrate."
The second anniversary of the coming into office of the Borno State governor was celebrated amidst pomp and pageantry with a series of events starting from May 20 and ending with a grand durbar on May 30.
There were commissioning of various projects across the state and a book launch, but the day the people of Maiduguri would not forget was the Democracy Day rally on Sunday which witnessed a mammoth crowd who all trooped to the square to celebrate and show their support for their governor.
In attendance were governors from neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic as well as the national leadership of the ANPP led by its national chairman, Chief don Etiebet.
Waving huge banners and staging a spontaneous street party, the people of Maiduguri chanted the praises of their governor all the way. They wore white T-shirts emblazoned with his nickname 'SUPER SAS."
According to one observer: 'This is definitely an intimidating show of political strength in this ANPP-controlled state. It is to tell other political party to lay off Borno State in 2007."
An ecstatic Governor Sheriff later spoke on how he felt seeing the crowd of party chieftains, supporters, farmers, water dealers, transporters, traders, market women and schoolchildren who all came to witness the occasion.
He told the Saturday Sun: 'Honestly, I would say today, I am very happy. Very happy because politics is about people. Politics is about service to the people. What did you do for your people? And are the people appreciating what you have done for them? Are you on course or are you off course?
'The only way to know whether you are on course - even if you believe you are on course - is when you call the people to come out and celebrate. There you will know whether they are happy or not happy. And today, for me, is one of my happiest moments, because I could see happiness boldly written on the faces of my people."
Asked whether he had mobilized the crowd, the governor said: 'All the arrangements that were put in place for these activities, I have not contributed anything. I did not take part. People just came out on their own volition to do so many things out of happiness and out of joy for what we have done within the last two years.
'This is a testimonial to us that they are happy. Borno State is one of the most difficult places to do politics. If they don't want you, you cannot walk out of your house. They would be stoning you. They would be cursing you as you pass them. And you would have met a near empty stadium, if people don't like you.
'But today, the kind of crowd I saw, I have never seen it in the history of this state. Everybody has taken me by surprise. The youths. The women. The union of transporters. The markets. 'Today, they closed the markets. They said they don't want to do market. Traders, motor spare parts dealers. They all went on holiday for our sake. It's encouraging. I ask them why they are doing this, and everybody would tell you his or her reason.
'Everybody would come and tell you his reason for being here today. To me, that is gratifying. That is satisfying. To know that we were able to touch the lives of our people. I would have been a very sad man if I came out to the stadium and people are angry with me. Then that would mean my thinking of where to bury my head."
In his speech, the governor told the cheering that the best is yet to come, promising that he was going to double his efforts.
'Insha Allah, the next two years, we are going to double our efforts. If people are happy for what we have done, I am sure that by the time we unfold what we have in stock, probably they would say they don't want any other political party in Borno State," he told the Saturday Sun.