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Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has accused Lagos of encroaching on northern Nigeria's governance and economy.
Speaking at the convocation of Skyline University in Kano, Kwankwaso alleged that Kano’s governance and its emirate system are being influenced by external forces from Lagos.
He claimed that decisions regarding Kano’s emir are now dictated from Lagos, reducing the emir to a “stooge.”
“Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose an emir. Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own emir,” Kwankwaso stated.
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The former minister of defence also expressed concerns over economic interference, particularly in tax collection.
“Lagos young men are working hard to impose taxes and take away our taxes from Kano to Lagos. Even telephones registered in Kano are taxed in Lagos,” he said, accusing Lagos-based interests of pressuring businesses in Kano and the northern region to relocate their headquarters to Lagos.
Kwankwaso urged northern lawmakers to be vigilant against policies that could disadvantage their region.
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He criticised past legislative decisions, alleging that northern representatives were coerced into supporting laws detrimental to their economy.
“We are witnesses to what happened in 1999 to 2000, where our National Assembly members were bribed into supporting offshore laws. That law dealt a huge blow to the northern economy,” he added.
He called for collective resistance, warning that continued external interference could weaken northern Nigeria’s autonomy.