North will survive if Nigeria breaks up, says Aliyu

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu said
yesterday that the North will survive in case of
a breakup of the country.
The region, he declared, is not afraid of being
on its own as he warned against statements
that suggest that the country is heading for a
breakup.
“If Nigeria splits, the north can still survive on
its own contrary to the belief of some people
in other regions that the north cannot survive
if the nation disintegrates,” the Chairman of
the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF),
stated yesterday.
He spoke during a meeting in Minna with
members of the House of Representatives
Committee on Petroleum Resources
(Downstream) in his office.
Aliyu cited some countries in Africa that had
disintegrated in recent past, noting that such
countries have not gone into extinction rather
they have survived and are waxing stronger.
“No community in Nigeria should be afraid of
separation. If some people want to go, they
should go, we will survive. We are not scared
of separation,” he said
“The same was said of Niger Republic. Niger
was the poorest country in the world but
today, if you see oil in Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto
and Maiduguri, it would have come from Niger
Republic.
“There is no way Niger and Chad can have oil
and improve their economy and the north will
not be able to do the same”, Aliyu boasted.
Although he did not say so, it was believed
that Aliyu was responding to threats by ex-
militant and Southsouth leader, Alhaji Asari
Dokubo that the nation would disintegrate in
2015 if President Goodluck Jonathan is not re-
elected.