From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
National Coordinator of the Disciples of Jagaban (DOJ) and President of the Yoruba Welfare Group, Abdulhakeem Adegoke Alawuje, has slammed Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed over recent comments which he described as capable of fanning ethnic tensions and undermining Nigeria’s unity.
Reacting to remarks credited to the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) spokesman that President Bola Tinubu is allegedly working to suppress the North, Alawuje said such utterances were disappointing, coming from someone who once served as a political adviser to the President.
Addressing reporters in Kaduna yesterday, Alawuje stated that Nigeria’s continued survival depends on leaders who place national interest above sectional considerations, warning that divisive rhetoric poses a grave threat to the country’s stability.
He noted that Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s suggestion that Northerners would not vote for Tinubu again if they knew “the extent to which he is suppressing the North,” was not only provocative but could deepen mistrust among Nigeria’s diverse communities.
According to Alawuje, “If every Nigerian viewed national issues purely from ethnic or sectional angles, the country would have disintegrated long ago. Nigeria has survived difficult times because patriots stood up for unity.”
The DOJ coordinator said it was regrettable that Dr. Baba-Ahmed, who remained silent during periods when past administrations were accused of sectional bias, is now raising alarms only because he feels personally sidelined.
He argued that Tinubu’s administration is not suppressing any part of the country, but rather working to reform decades-old systems that mainly benefitted a privileged few, insisting that these changes were in the long-term interest of ordinary Nigerians.
He also pointed out that no ethnic group can achieve political success in isolation, stressing that both Buhari and Tinubu owed their victories to broad coalitions across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. He, therefore, urged Nigerians to resist calls that seek to regionalise national discourse, saying, “Any attempt to turn genuine national debates into ethnic confrontations will only delay our progress.”
He called on Northern elders to counsel Dr. Baba-Ahmed against comments that could inflame passions, urging all political leaders to embrace patience and support the ongoing reforms aimed at repositioning the country.
He prayed to Almighty Allah to continue to guide and protect President Tinubu and preserve the unity and peace of Nigeria, noting that the country needs healing and collective responsibility now more than ever.
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