Rabiu Kwankwaso at Chatham House
The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has revealed that the terror rocking the North West and North East is caused by struggle over mineral resources.
The NNPP candidate made the disclosure while speaking at Chatham House in London on Wednesday.
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and former defence minister, said people within and outside Nigeria are “stealing” the mineral resources, hence the fighting in the regions.
He said, “In Nigeria we have to have a reward system and a punishment system because right now everything goes.
“In Kano when I was governor, nobody would go out to tax one naira. For eight years when I was in power we did not borrow one kobo, all that I did in Kano was from state resources, that’s why some people then will be asking how we’re getting the money.”
He continued, “Don’t forget, right now as we’re sitting here, instead of 2.2 million barrels of oil, we (Nigeria) are producing just around 1 million to 1.2 million barrels, the remaining 1 million is being stolen by some people. Where are the people? Who are the people? That’s why we need to stop them.
“The fighting in the North West and even the North East is mainly because of mineral resources, people are stealing it from Nigeria and outside Nigeria, including gold and other resources.
“That has got to stop. All these assets must be taken over by the government and be utilised for all of us.”
He added further that the country’s current realities are the culmination of over two decades of leadership mistakes and wrong choices.
He said, “We can point fingers at all sorts of factors allegedly responsible for our situation, from coronavirus to global economic recession, from western powers to international capital, etc.
“But for me, we are where we are because of the mistakes and the wrong choices made by the very people entrusted with the business of governing Nigeria in the last 24 years.”
