They Give Northerners ₦500 And Noodles To Grab Their Lives For Four Years – Yusuf Usman

A former chairman of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Yusuf Usman, has condemned the deployment of 30,000 security personnel to Osun State during its gubernatorial election.

He argued that such a move was unnecessary, adding that it was an attempt to intimidate voters.

Naija News reports that Usman shared his thoughts during an interview on DCL on Wednesday.

He urged voters to learn from the recent political developments in Osun State and recognise the power of their votes.

According to him, the people of Osun State were not intimidated by the security presence and still exercised their right to vote.

“In spite of that, the people of Osun were not intimidated by the presence of security agents in their state; they were there to help them vote.

“They sent over 30,000 security agents to Osun State to intimidate people. 30,000. If you sent 30,000 to Zamfara, all the insecurity in Zamfara will be gone,” Usman said.

He questioned why so many security personnel could be deployed for an election while insecurity continues to affect parts of northern Nigeria.

“But no, the people, the lives of our people, are not as important as you rigging the ballot election,” he said.

The former NHIS chairman also accused politicians of spending billions of public money to influence voters during elections.

“Number two, they spend billions of our money, people’s money, to buy votes. Yes, people receive the money,” he said.

Usman urged voters in the north to compare the short-term benefits offered during elections with the long-term consequences of their political choices.

“And our voters in the north, the lesson you need to learn from Osun is whereas in Osun they gave them ₦30,000, ₦40,000, ₦50,000, here in the north they give you ₦500 and noodles to grab your lives for the next four years,” he said.

Usman said northern voters should understand that they have the power to determine who governs them through the ballot.

“We have a lot to learn in the north to tell you that we have the power. We vote this government in. We have the power to choose whoever we want to choose,” he said.

He also criticised the continued use of religious arguments to mobilise voters, particularly calls for support for a Muslim-Muslim political ticket.

“And now they are bringing in these religious leaders back to you again to tell you to vote Muslim-Muslim, which I said from the outset was nothing but a scam. Nothing to do with Islam,” he said.

According to him, religious identity should not be used as a substitute for effective governance and addressing the challenges confronting Nigerians.

“It is just to scoop votes for him. After that, what happened in the last four years? What happened to Muslims in the north?” he asked.