Northern governors having poor performance records are the most loquacious while those with good records talk less, Ambassador Shehu Malami said, in reaction to statements by the Niger State governor accusing elders of being responsible for the North's present predicament.
"I have no quarrel with northern governors. But some of them who have performed well know themselves and they don't even talk, and those who have not performed can go to hell. But I have no regret saying that generally, there hasn't been good governance in northern Nigeria," Malami told Daily Trust in Abuja on Tuesday. The one-time high commissioner to South Africa was referring to Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who was quoted in the Sunday Trust last week criticising some northern elders including Malami himself because they earlier blamed governors for the problems of the North.
Aliyu had said that some of the elders were not qualified to talk because of the roles they played previously in the nation's politics.
But Malami on Tuesday queried how he could be named as part of the problem when he never controlled funds meant for the people.
"It's good to find out from him (Governor Aliyu) how I became part of the problem. I have never served anywhere I was in charge of funds either at the local government level, state level or federal level. I have no access to anybody's money; whatever I spend is my money," Malami said.
"So if he says I am part of the problem he needs to be asked how I became part of the problem. Did he see me going round the governors begging for money or to give me contract? I have no access to public funds. All I have is my private money and I can account for every kobo at every moment. If I have become a problem for asking questions about what happens to the money collected by northern governors, he will say so," he added.
The former envoy commended the current system where moneys accruing to the three tiers of government are being published saying the practice has created such awareness that people have begun to ask question about the manner in which their funds were being managed or mismanaged.
"Some years back, there was no publication regarding what each state government was getting. Now we have such information... And this is very good because people are beginning to ask: you have got so amount, what have you done with the money? Ask your chairman what happened to the money you collected last month? He may tell you that the governor did not give him; and you tell him that there is provision that the governor should give everyone his allocation," he said.
Malami gave kudos to the effort of northern leaders after the northern economic conference which led to the establishment of a company, 'Invest in Northern Nigeria'. He said the idea will help the economy of the region.
"There was an economic conference that took place after that, one of the ideas that were brought up and was accepted and is being implemented is for northerners to invest in northern Nigeria. There is a company established on the recommendation of Mustapha Bello of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission.
"A lot of people have been investing in the company. What is left now is to see how Mustapha Bello and the other people entrusted in the management of the Invest in Northern Nigeria, how they will run it. People like Dangote and others in the northern region are all involved," he said.
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Daily Trust