Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has said it is only fair for power to remain in Southern Nigeria for the next four to six years following the eight-year presidency of Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking on Channels Television on Friday, Musawa explained that Nigeria’s political system is still heavily influenced by ethnic divisions, making zoning a necessary arrangement.
“I think zoning is important only because we have not been able to get over the doldrums of ethnicity and we’re not looking at ourselves as Nigerian,” she said.
Musawa said that given the country’s current political maturity, it makes sense to keep power in the South for now.
“So it is understandable that after eight years of President Buhari, who was from the North, power needed to shift down to the South,” she added.
The minister stressed that while she hopes Nigeria will one day judge candidates based on competence, the country is not there yet.
“Hopefully one day we’ll be able to get over that and candidates will only be judged on their capacity and what they have to bring to the table. But since we are not there yet for the benefit of this politics now, power should certainly for the next four, six years remain in the Southern part of the country.”
She also mentioned a poem she wrote titled I Am a Nigerian, which she said promotes national unity and will soon be aired again on national platforms.
