A former governor of Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has asked the national assembly to reject any attempts to “cheat” the north with the proposed tax reform bills.
Kwankwaso spoke on Sunday at the convocation ceremony of Skyline University held at the Ammani Centre, Nassarawa GRA, Kano state.
Kwankwaso alleged that Lagos is “making a lot of efforts” to colonise the north.
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The former governor accused the president, who hails from Lagos, of interfering in the emirship tussle in Kano.
“The Emir has just been installed at this difficult time in our country, especially in this part of the country, northern Nigeria,” he said.
“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of effort from the Lagos axis to colonise this part of the country.
“Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose our Emir. Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own Emir.
“Today, we are aware that the Lagos young men are working so hard to impose and take away our taxes from Kano and this part of the country to Lagos.”
The Kano emirship is a subject of litigation.
Muhammadu Sanusi was reinstated as the Emir of Kano in May.
However, Aminu Bayero, who was removed to make way for Sanusi, has refused to step aside.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections said many factory owners have been “forced” to relocate their headquarters to Lagos to make the south-west state claim “all the taxes”.
“We have seen the effort of some people to make the poor poorer and the rich richer. And I believe this is very dangerous for us,” Kwankwaso said.
“This part of the country today is suffering from a serious economic crunch, insecurity, poverty, hunger, and diseases.
“I believe this is not good for the cordial existence of our country. At this moment, I would like to call on all our national assembly members to keep their eyes open so that they don’t do anything that will cheat the people of northern Nigeria, especially here in Kano.
“We are witnesses to what happened during the first term of Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2003, where our members of the national assembly were bribed into collecting a huge sum of money to support onshore/offshore in the country.
“That law put a huge blow on our economy in northern Nigeria and all other states.”
