Don't sell votes for N500, ex-NHIS chairman tells northern voters after Osun election
Professor Yusuf Usman, former chairman of Nigeria's National Health Insurance Scheme, urged northern voters to reject vote-buying and religious manipulation, pointing to Osun State's recent election where voters resisted intimidation despite 30,000 security personnel deployed.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Usman criticized politicians for spending billions of public money to buy votes, noting northern voters often receive only N500 and noodles while Osun voters were offered N30,000 to N50,000. He questioned why such massive security deployments occur for elections while insecurity worsens in northern states like Zamfara.
Usman highlighted persistent northern challenges: deepening poverty, over 20,000 out-of-school children, worsening insecurity, and drug abuse. He argued these social problems cannot be solved by military hardware alone, calling on religious leaders to focus on addressing community issues rather than supporting political campaigns like the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which he called "a scam."
He reminded northern voters of their power: "We vote this government in. We have the power to choose whoever we want." Will northern voters recognize their electoral power and demand leaders who solve real problems instead of accepting short-term gains?