FG’s blockage of airlines from Kano is economic emasculation of the North – Rep. Madaki Written by Turaki A. Hassan Aliyu Sani Madaki represents Dala Federal Constituency and chairs the House Committee on Lake Chad. In this interview, the lawmaker accuses President Goodluck Jonathan of implementing grand agenda to economically ground the Northern Region by blocking international airlines from landing in Kano and Abuja and vows to sponsor impeachment motion against the president if the action is not reversed. Excerpts: You have on many occasions sponsored motions in the House on refusal of the Federal Government during former Aviation Minister Stella Oduah to grant landing permit to some foreign airlines to fly into Kano and Abuja, yet the government recently stopped Emirates Airline from commencing commercial flight in Kano. How do you see this latest action? Let me start by saying that from the day we came into the House, other patriotic members of the National Assembly and I have been canvassing for the return to what was obtainable in Kano back then when all the major international Airlines operated from Kano. For three years now, four major international airlines namely Emirates, Etihad, Turkish and Asky have been seeking additional landing permits to commence flight operations in Kano but they were denied by the Aviation ministry under the leadership of former Minister Stella Oduah. I raised three motions in the House on the matter which were adopted and through which we summoned officials of the ministry to explain to us the reasons for their actions. In the end, it came out very clearly that the ministry was not willing, for political reasons, to allow them land in Kano. But after a lot of pressure and persuasion from many stakeholders, the ministry gave them additional landing permits. As we speak, Turkish Airline is now operating in Kano with a lot of passengers. But unfortunately, Emirates was suppose to start operation on August 1 but the Ministry of Aviation wrote a letter to them telling them to suspend their planned operation from Kano because of security problems. The questions to ask are which security problem do we have in Kano? Why is it that there are: other airlines operating from Kano? Is it that we don’t like them? What about the domestic airlines that operate daily? I see political motive behind this illicit decision by the government. Not only that, before I used to think that it was the former Minister Stella Oduah who never liked Kano and its people, but now it has now become very clear that it is Mr President Goodluck Jonathan himself, who does not like Kano to progress economically, who hates Kano, and does not want to see the progress of Kano and by extension Northern Nigeria, because if you touch Kano you have touched the entire North. That is why Jonathan is doing everything within his power to stop these airlines from operating from Kano. But let me sound a word of warning to whoever is involved in this unholy act that we are Nigerians, we swore to protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic and therefore, whoever, no matter how highly placed, do things that negate the spirit and intent of the constitution we will find a way of meeting him where he is. Believe me we will do whatever is in our powers to see that this action is reversed and where it is not revesed we will take every step to stop this. But why do you think that the President will be so interested in emasculating Kano or the North entirely? To me, this shows the level of hatred Jonathan has for our people and our region. The level of hatred that is being exhibited by the current leadership of the Federal government to the people of Kano and northern Nigeria. I find it difficult to believe that somebody will reach the position of the president of this country and be treating a section of the country in this disdainful manner. It is sad and uncalled for. That person should have a rethink of whatever he is doing in the interest of the country he governs. We are all Nigerians and we have a stake in this country. No section of Nigeria should be made to feel as if they are second class citizens. They should remember that it is our coming together that make this country what it is. As president you should do everything within your power to promote peace, unity, harmony and good understanding. Have you tried to reach out to officials of Emirates Airlines on the issue? Yes, that is why I told you the letter written to them suspending their planned operation was true and real but they were not willing to give me a copy of the letter. In the letter, they were told to suspend operations to Kano for security reasons. Which security? Turkish airline, Saudi Air, Ethiopian Air, Egypt Air, Middle East Air and others all fly into Kano. Whatever you say is happening in Kano now is also happening in Abuja, will you also stop them from coming to Abuja for security reasons? The truth is that there is no security in this country. Nowhere is safe because the leadership is not serious about protecting the lives and property of the citizens. But this matter has dragged for two years now, why don’t you put it behind you and move on? Well, if I should allow it to go the best thing I will do is to resign my membership of the National Assembly. The people of Dala and Kano, by extension, sent me to the National Assembly in order to protect their interest, to speak on their behalf and one of the things that they want is to have a very viable international airport as we used to have it back then. The Malam Aminu Kano International Airport was the first international airport in Nigeria. My being in the National Assembly is to do whatever is within my power to make sure that the past glory of the airport is restored. You made a very serious allegations against the person of the president. Don’t you think you went too far on this? If you will go back to the motions I raised on the floor of the House on this issue, I then accused former Aviation Minister Stella Oduah of antagonizing Kano and the North because I had evidence in my possessions then about three airlines that wrote to her requesting to be giving landing permits to fly to Kano and she wrote back to them, telling them she won’t give them Kano but that she was willing to allow them go to Enugu at any time. Based on that I concluded that the woman does not like Kano and, therefore, wanted to destroy our economy. But now the woman is no longer there. What this means is that there’s a bigger force that is working against the interest of Kano and I believe the only person who will have such powers of stopping these airlines from flying to Kano is Mr President. That is why I believe President Jonathan is going too far in his hatred of Kano and by extension Northern Nigeria. And this is a government that is doing a lot of things to bring about divisions on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sections and the likes. In the history of this country, I have never seen this kind of thing. There was never a government that was promoting ethnicity, religious intolerance and other vices that would all cripple this country. It is really sad. I am not happy to say that Mr. President does not like Kano but that is the truth. He does not like Kano and the North. But why do you think that he doesn’t like you and your people? The reasons will be best known to him, but if you don’t like someone the best way to cripple that person is to ground his economic base. If you cripple or shut the means of feeding my family even if you don’t fight me physically you are already fighting me. So I believe this president does not like us. Do you intend to bring this matter again to the attention of the House? Immediately we resume I will surely do that. I have already started sensitizing my colleagues on this. Earlier on I wrote an open letter to the president on the things happening in Kano and the nation. I then advised him to change his course or else we will move to impeach him through an impeachment motion which I intend to sponsor. Now it is time to do that and we won’t rest on this. We members of the National Assembly must come together to remove this man from office. This man has no business bein the president of this country, if he will be showing this kind of hatred to a particular section of the country.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 08:13:22 +0000
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