— DG Sali Bello tells House Committee: “We’re victims of a broken pledge made in 1961”.
The Director-General and leader of the Amana State Movement, Alhaji Sali Bello (Dan Amar Mubi), made an impassioned plea for the creation of Amana State with Mubi as its capital, citing a historical promise made to the people of the former Northern Cameroons 64 years ago.
He made the plea, during a public hearing convened by the House of Representatives in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Saturday, July 12, 2025.
Speaking before the committee, Alhaji Bello described the persistent denial of statehood and capital status for Mubi as a “grave national injustice” and called on lawmakers to redeem Nigeria’s solemn pledge made during the 1961 United Nations-supervised plebiscite that merged the Northern Cameroons with Nigeria.
“Our people voted to join Nigeria in 1961 based on clear promises of autonomy and equal status for Mubi with other provincial capitals like Kano, Maiduguri, and Katsina. But six decades later, we remain a forgotten people; stateless and sidelined,” Bello lamented.
He contrasted Nigeria’s treatment of the Northern Cameroons with that of Cameroon’s approach to the Southern Cameroons, who also took part in the plebiscite.
According to him, while Cameroon created two full regions, North West and South West, for the Southern Cameroonians with Buea and Bamenda as their capitals, Nigeria has yet to grant similar recognition or autonomy to the Northern Cameroon, which is now part of Adamawa and parts of Borno.
“Out of 10 regions in Cameroon, Southern Cameroonians got two. Out of 36 states in Nigeria, we have none. That is not justice,” he added.
Alhaji Bello explained that the name “Amana”, which means “trust”, was carefully chosen to reflect both the historical roots and moral foundation of their quest, emphasising that the movement had fulfilled all constitutional requirements and was ready to work with all willing communities within the proposed territory.
He also extended appreciation to the people of Uba Chiefdom in Borno State for supporting the call for Amana State and urged other neighbouring communities to join what he described as a movement built on “trust, fairness, equity and justice.”
Reaffirming the group’s loyalty to Nigeria, Alhaji Bello stressed that their agitation is not secessionist, but rather a demand for fairness within the Nigerian federation.
“We are loyal citizens of Nigeria, committed to her unity and progress. But we will never give up on our demand for the recognition of Mubi as a state capital; because that promise must be redeemed,” he said.
Alhaji Sali Bello submitted his points by dedicating the movement’s ongoing struggle to the memories of his three late predecessors who led the Amana State campaign before him, expressing hope that the current National Assembly and government will finally correct the historical oversight.
The public hearing is part of a wider consultative process by the House of Representatives on constitutional and structural reform, including state creation.