Northern elders reply Jonathan, say sitting leaders are like pick-pockets

Ambassador Maitama Sule-led Northern Elders Forum (NEF) yesterday hit back at President Goodluck Jonathan for describing some elder statesmen as touts.

Addressing the press at his Zaria farm yesterday, the spokesman of NEF, Professor Ango Abdullahi said, even some sitting leaders were worse than pick-pockets in motor parks, adding that, President Jonathan shouldn’t have made such abusive statement on the nation’s statesmen, who fought for the unity of the country.
Professor Abdullahi, who is also a member of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) also tongue-lashed the Tanko Yakasai-led Northern Elders Council (NEC), saying the group lacked principle and couldnot speak for the generality of Nigerians.
The former Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) vice chancellor and Special Adviser on Agriculture during President Obasanjo’s administration said, NEF was more focused and committed to the political well-being of Northerners and Nigerians in general.
According to him: “President Jonathan should know that in a motor park, there are touts and there are pick-pockets, so, if some past leaders are touts, some sitting leaders  are pick-pockets and thieves. So, you have to make your pick from that.
“This country is complaining about corruption and the President himself has said that, stealing is corruption.
“And so, for him to even come around and refer to some people as touts, he should remember that, some of them sitting there are pick-pockets and some of them are even worse than pick-pockets.
“Pick-pockets in a motor park cheat the passengers as well as the owner of the vehicles, while the touts do some works for a commission.
“So, you see, these are some of the things that are clearly pointing to the fact that, the incompetence that we have been complaining about is the additional basis of rejecting the man’s leadership in 2015, it is now clearly showing across the country.
“It used to be Northern Elders Forum who were seen as partisan, sectional, divisive and so on.
Whenever we say something, it was misconstrued as outright opposition against the government or against the President, because we are not with the President at the moment, but thank God, the truth will always be one.
People across the country today seem to have agreed that this is an incompetent government that is about to wreck or completely ruin this country, and the sooner Nigerians come to grips with this, the better.
“Jonathan may disagree with Obasanjo, he is one of our leaders that come out to say things the way they are. You can criticise him on what he has done or what he has not been able to do, but he should also be seen as he has always been since 1979 when I knew him.
“This is a man that has been saying things as he has seen them. It is only very recently, some well-meaning Nigerians like him have come to agree that, the country is being put in the wrong direction under the leadership of the current administration.
“The Elders Council, led by Alhaji Tanko Yakasai we have said this before, what is Northern Elders Council? Who are they? Who do they speak for? But, we speak for Nigerians,  but more so for Northern Nigerians.
“We did not hide the fact that we protect the interest of Northern Nigerians at any stage, without sacrificing the rights of other Nigerians elsewhere under any guise.”
 SOURCE:SUN NEWS