Northern Youths Fires Back At Dangote Over His Comment On Igbo Quit; What They Call Him Will Make You Cry

The group under the umbrella of Coalition of Northern Groups described Dangote as traitor and moral liability to the North Apparently dissatisfied by the comments credited to Alhaji Aliko Dangote which cast them as jobless youths seeking relevance, a coalition of northern youths on Thursday, June 29 descended heavily on the African richest man, saying he is a moral liability to the northern region.

Vanguard reports that the youths also described Dangote as “final destination where every corrupt government official dump their public treasury loot.”

The coalition has the memberships of the six northern youth groups which recently issued a quit notice to Igbo people from the south east resident in the north to exit the region before October 1 this year.

The groups included Arewa Youth Consultative Forum led by Alhaji Yerima Shittima; Arewa Citizens Action for Change led by Nastura Sharif; Arewa Youth Development Foundation led by Aminu Adam; Arewa Students Forum led by Alfred Solomon; Northern Emancipation Network led by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman as well as Northern Youth Vanguard led by Joshua Viashman.

Gathered under the umbrella name, “Coalition of Northern Groups”, CNG, the youths accused Dangote of working against the cause of Northern region, saying he “can only boast of a very negligible presence by way of investment even in his birthplace, Kano while citing more than 70% in the South.”

According to a statement titled: “In Response to Aliko Dangote’s Ranting”, signed by the spokesman of the group, Abdul-Azez Suleiman and released yesterday in Abuja, the youths said that they were not surprised that the business mogul took a parallel direction with other notable northerns such as Professor Ango Abdulahi in the quit notice because of his poor education or religious training.

Affirming their belief, the youths said that “Kaduna Declaration has finally exposed the bankruptcy of many northerners such as Dangote who have turned traitors after riding on the goodwill of the region’s past leaders who sacrificed everything to beaqueth a fair environment to future generations.” Dangote while hosting Lagos Business School in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos recently was quoted as saying

“some guys who have no relevance and values came out to issue a warning that Igbo should leave north. I am surprised everybody started talking about this nonsense." 

"Why are we talking about it? Obviously, in a place where there is a lot of joblessness, it is expected that this kind of jobless people would come with all sorts of anger. We understand the reason why they are angry, but they cannot justify their action when they have decided not to work. They only issue senseless warning to keep themselves relevant”. 

The group’s statement read in part;

“The Coalition of Northern Groups would ordinarily not have bothered to respond to inconsequential criticisms coming from people like Aliko Dangote but for the fact that they may assume some importance within the context of northern leadership. “We all know that Dangote and all those that appear uncomfortable with our Kaduna Declaration are those who thrive from condescending against northerners and the northern values. 

“They represent a pack of scavengers who would readily negotiate the general interest of their people in order to cover up their dirty sources of wealth and fame. “In particular, Dangote has never been and can never be among genuine northern patriots and therefore his support for, or opposition to anything that tends to serve the interest of the region and its people are inconsequential and are not expected. “If anything, Dangote is no more than a moral liability to the cultured north having become the final destination where every corrupt government official dump their public treasury loot. “He is therefore morally liable along with other Igbo accomplices for the economic hardship wrought on Nigeria in the past 25 years. “We are therefore not surprised that Dangote should openly oppose this course that is endorsed by all well-meaning northerners and the likes of Professor Ango Abdullahi and several other secular and religious scholars of note. 

“This is because Dangote is never known to have had any form of conventional education or religious training before venturing into dubious money-making schemes.“He is also not expected to support anything North because in the pursuit of wealth, he has come to develop an endemic hatred for his northern kith which exposes why, as the richest man in Africa, Dangote can only boast of a very negligible presence by way of investment even in his birthplace, Kano while citing more than 70% in the South. 

“Most importantly, we are very much proud that we are only “jobless’ as claimed by Dangote, but then, none of us has the record of ever being involved in drug peddling or currency counterfeiting. “All our lives, since childhood, we have never been found wanting in any money-worshipping venture to the point of criminally peddling hard drug and, or forging hard currency. “We are also happy that the Kaduna Declaration has finally exposed the bankruptcy of many northerners such as Dangote who have turned traitors after riding on the goodwill of the region’s past leaders who sacrificed everything to beaqueth a fair environment to future generations.