Peter Obi, The North Awaits Your August Visit

By Umar Dan Kano

I could remember that Peter Obi came to power on the 17th March 2006 while the famous Onitsha crisis, which led to the killings of Northerners, occurred on the 21st and 22nd day of February 2006. That was almost a month gap.

Our first meeting with Obi also coincided with his first visit to the town; all arrangements were done to receive the first citizen of the state and also to explain our predicament to him at that moment. As refugees in Army Barrack Onitsha, we took him from the barrack round to the affected areas of the crisis such as Bida Road central to see some houses burnt within the area, and then to Oba of yoruba house and palace that was razed down along sokoto and ifejika streets, then down to bridge head market by the express, where all Northern markets were burnt down. There alone, more than 100 lives were lost and properties worth billions destroyed.

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The following businesses were destroyed and burnt completely .

1. Goat Market ( Northerners )
2. Cola market (Which comprised of North and Western interest)
3.Beans and Rice Market (Northerners )
4. Onions Market (Northerners )
5. Vegetables oils (Northerners )
6. Arewa parks which comprises of Maiduguri, Bauchi, Gombe, Sokoto ,Yola, Kano, Mubi and many Northern states.
7. Osogbo park (Yorubas)

But to our greatest surprise, the first thing that came out of Peter Obi’s mouth was, “you people should tell your people to also stop killing our people in the North.” It was like a bomb! Everyone was shocke. We couldn’t believe a whole Chief Executive Officer of a state who should be for everybody, a “Governor so to say, could utter such a disgusting and an intolerant statement in the public! We all were disappointed and dispersed without even murmuring a word. Peter Obi sent a chill down our spines!

The rest was history; Peter Obi didn’t even feel any pity for the lives lost nor the properties destroyed, not to talk of giving out any form of relief materials or compensation of any sort to the biggest community of settlers in the state.

Secondly, at a point in his administration, Peter Obi decided to eject and takeover those markets mentioned earlier from the Northerners. These are markets which the Northerners had been in possession since 1974 when they were relocated from Ochanja market by the then military government. The Hausa community, thereby, rejected his moves to take them over without any provision or replacement for their original place of business.

To our surprise, Governor Peter Obi ordered the deployment of Military men, who invaded the market and took no prisoners. They shot and killed 7 (Seven) innocent market men among the protesters.

It’s not easy to suddenly lose our places of income and sources of living without any replacement. So, we petitioned the matter to the office of the Sultan of Sokoto who in response sent two Emirs, that of Suleja and the Etsu of Nupe, to appease him, but even all that brought no fruitful solution. The governor stood his ground and refused to provide an alternative land for the Markets.

Eventually, his Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, had to visit the governor to beg on our behalf solely for him to provide another place for the continuation of our businesses, but ‘the almighty’ Peter Obi refused to change position all because we are NORTHERNERS not IGBOS.

Because we are Northerners, Obi felt we didn’t deserve a land for our businesses in Anambra State. In fact, in one of our meeting with him he openly said to us and I quote, “you people are foreigners here, therefore you have no right to our land” – a clear case of an intolerant leader. Obi’s discrimination and hatred to us clearly defined him as a bigot to the core. Peter Obi forgot that a day like today will come when he will need northerners for his political ambition, he forgot that there are over a Million Igbos of Anambra state origin who are scattered all over the North living comfortably with their families and businesses. So, for Obi’s insensitivity and high-handedness, all the traders relocated to Asaba with their families and businesses.

NOW TELL ME, How would Peter Obi treat Northerners if he is elected the President of Nigeria? WORST OF IT ALL, Peter Obi said emphatically that he hated seeing Hausas at the point of entering of Anambra state from Delta state. What a bigot!!

Thirdly, towards the tail end of Peter Obi’s administration which coincided with the anniversary of the creation of Anambra state, we were invited by the organizers of the program who is an igbo lady residing in the North. But while making a point on the need to foster unity among Nigerians and suggested that an exchange program should be established where young people from the state should be send to Kano in Exchange for Kano Young Vocational trainees, Peter Obi quickly took over the microphone and said, there is no comparison between the North and the East not to talk of sharing skills and knowledge. He also added that such comparison is like asking China to come to Nigeria to learn manufacturing business. He made this assertion in the public and I could remember it was the then governor of River state, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, that chaired the occasion.

Moreover, sometimes in 2018, an Igbo Bar man in Niger drive GRA Onitsha invited a Hausa man to be selling Suya meat in front of his bar just to attract more customers to his business. The distance of the bar is about 300 metres away from Peter Obi’s house, but to our greatest shock, Peter Obi invited DSS from Awka to forcibly eject the Hausa Man from the place. His offence – he was a Hausa Man from the North who should not be seen in the GRA. It took the intervention of the landlord and Arewa leaders in the the state to stop Peter Obi from perfecting his illegal motives against the Hausa Man . It should also be of note that Peter Obi equally forcefully deported people of Northern extraction back to Kaduna during his tenure as governor of Anambra state.

Now, what will Peter Obi tell people of the North if he visits any of the Northern States during campaign? How will he be able to prove that he will be a leader for all, going by his notorious antecedent?

In view of all the above Peter Obi’s divisive kind of leadership and his unprovoked notorious actions against the North and Northerners, I make bold to say that he is not worthy of a single VOTE from any patriotic Northerner (‘Yan Arewa) and Westerners (Yorubas). Obi is an extremely ethnic bigot and a personality very dangerous to be trusted with the highest office of the land. No matter who Peter Obi takes as his Presidential running Mate from the North, we shouldn’t trust him.

Mallam Umar Dan wrote from Kano.