- Prof. Usman Yusuf asserts no reasonable Northerner will support a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, citing deepened religious tensions in the region
- He urges Northerners to accept responsibility for regional challenges, criticizing past leadership neglecting infrastructure and public welfare amid insecurity
A former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has stated that no reasonable Northerner would support a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the future.
Speaking on Saturday at a one-day Consultative Forum organized by the Tafjyan Matasan Arewa (Northern Youths Movement) in Bauchi, Yusuf urged Northerners to take responsibility for the current challenges in the region, including insecurity and economic struggles.
He said, “No Northerner should blame others for our problems. We brought this on ourselves. In 2015, we ousted a government under the pretense of Boko Haram. Where are we now? We had Muhammadu Buhari as President for eight years, yet key projects like the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road remain incomplete.”
Yusuf criticized past leadership in the region, noting the neglect of critical infrastructure and services. He pointed to the Lagos-Calabar highway project as evidence of government priorities elsewhere, contrasting it with uncompleted Northern projects.
He added, “Our children are out of school, and farmers cannot access their fields due to insecurity. Banditry, Boko Haram, and other issues are the result of our actions. We must accept responsibility.”
Yusuf also addressed divisions caused by the Muslim-Muslim ticket that brought the current administration into power. He argued that this choice had deepened religious tensions in the North, saying, “Indigenous Christians now blame Muslims for the region’s problems, creating serious acrimony.”
He further lamented the lack of vocal representatives in the National Assembly from the North, contrasting the current silence with the activism of past leaders like Gudaji Kazaure.
The former NHIA chief concluded by advocating for inclusive leadership focused on infrastructure and public welfare, criticizing the prioritization of financial interests over development. “No reasonable Northerner will support another Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he affirmed.
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