Buhari’s administration failed to sustain Jonathan’s legacy in North — Okai-Austin

Political activist and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Usman Okai-Austin, has criticised the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to sustain the development initiatives put in place by his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, in the northern part of the country.

In a recent interview, Okai-Austin, who was the PDP candidate for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, argued that the North’s most pressing need is genuine development, not just political power.

He lamented the persistent issues of poverty, insecurity, and the high number of out-of-school children, which he says have not been adequately addressed by northern leaders despite their long-term hold on power.

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“The North wants development, not empty political power. What is the use of political power when you don’t alleviate the poverty of your people? Do we have good hospitals in the North today? Do we have well-planned schools for our children?” Okai-Austin stated.

Okai recalled that former President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner, demonstrated a strong commitment to addressing these issues by establishing 157 modern Almajiri schools across the North to integrate Western education with the traditional Islamic system.

However, he claimed that the Buhari administration, which followed, failed to continue the program and allowed the schools to be “destroyed.”

Okai-Austin also dismissed the narrative of northern marginalisation, calling it a smokescreen used by politicians for personal gain.

He pointed to powerful northern figures who served in the recent administration, such as Nasir El-Rufai, Babachir Lawal, and Abubakar Malami, saying they had the opportunity to enact change but failed to do so.

He defined true marginalisation as the plight of unemployed youths, women without access to healthcare, farmers who cannot safely access their fields, and children who remain on the streets.

The Kogi activist, however, called for a change in leadership, urging the younger generation of northerners to take over from a class of leaders who, in his view, have used the North as a “bargaining chip” for their own interests.