Southern Borno elders urge Tinubu, APC leaders to back Betara
Ibrahim Umar
Kanempress
17th, April,2023
Worried by decades of injustice, inequity and lack of fairness in political and economic governance of their area, elders of Southern Borno, yesterday in Abuja, called on the incoming President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensure that he quickly addressed their plight by joining forces with returning and new members-elect in supporting their son, Honourable Muktar Aliyu Betara’s speakership ambition of the 10th House of Representatives.
The group added that Tinubu should prevail on the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, as well as Governor Babagana Zulum to give their full support to the speakership ambition of Betara.
They also called on the party’s structure of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress (APC) at the national level.
Hon Betara, who represents Biu/Bayo/Shani Federal Constituency in Southern Borno is the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation and he is one of the ranking re-elected members of the Tenth House of Representatives.
He has been in the House of Representatives since 2007.
The spokesperson of the elders, Alhaji Mohammed Abba Liman, said that, “Southern Borno is a civilised and educated area of the state with ethnic and religious mix where Christians and Muslims coexist peacefully for a long time now.
“But unfortunately, we.have been neglected and cheated in terms of political and economic governance, as well as infrastructural development in the state”, he told news men.
He went on to say that “For instance, it is on record that, for more than four decades now, the people of Southern Borno have been relegated by Central and Northern Borno respectfully.
“For more than four decades now, we have never produced a state governor. It is a fact that we have been sidelined and dominated by the Central and Northern Borno cabal that does not want us to develop and they will not support any of our son’s to rise to prominence both nationally and in the state of Borno”, he said.
He explained that, between 1979-1983, the state governor was Mohammed Goni (Borno North); 1983-1984, Ashiek Jarma (Borno Central); 1991-1993, Maina Ma’aji Lawan (Borno North); 1999-2003, Mala Kachala (Borno Central); 2003-2011, Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno Central); 2011-2019, Kashim Shettima (Borno Central) and 2019 till date, Prof. Babagana Zulum (Borno North).
He said “This is how the governorship in the state has been rotating between Northern and Central Borno without any conscientious consideration for power to move to the Southern Borno, which is apparently the largest in terms of population, education, tolerant and co-existential mix of Muslim-Christian families and as an older civilization”.
Alhaji Liman further lamented that, “it is rather unfortunate that members of the Northern and Central Borno cabal who are never in support of any meaningful development in the Southern Borno, are hell-bent on sabotaging the Speakership ambition of Hon Betara.
The elders, through Alh. Liman, further accused , the state government under Governor Zulum of sabotage saying that, “rather than supporting the Speakership ambition of Hon Betara, it is opposing the project, simply because the political cabal in Northern and Central Borno do not want to see any Southern Borno son or daughter rise up to such a national position of influence and significance”.
The elders therefore said that they are solidly behind Betara, and expressed optimism that Tinubu, Shettima, Governor Zulum and the leadership of APC at the national level will lend their full support to Betara in his quest to become the Speaker of the Tenth House of Representatives.
