…Says north responsible for own woes
Governors of the 19 Northern States and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council on Monday met in Kaduna telling themselves what can be regarded as the ‘bitter truth’ that, the region was responsible for its own woes.
This was as the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima said, north which is ‘Nigeria’s most thriving region’, has literally conspired against itself to be reduced to the laughing stock of the world.
While the Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III said, hatred among northerners and the attendant violence are preached from places of religious worship, which he described as sad and worrisome to the traditional institution.
Governor Shettima in his welcome address to the first ever joint meeting of the Northern elites under the auspices of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum and others, said, Northern Nigeria today is blighted by a deadly (albeit retreating) insurgency, rural armed banditry, cattle rustling, ethnic and religious conflicts, the underlying causes of which are poverty, illiteracy, social exclusivity and severely limited economic opportunities.
The Governors’ Forum leader said, the core challenges in the region revolve around intolerance, absence of peaceful coexistence, poverty, illiteracy and lack of unity.
According to him, “Governors of the 19 Northern States do recognize, respect and cherish the fact that while others serve for certain periods, traditional rulers mostly make lifetime commitments to the service of our communities. This naturally makes your Royal Highnesses very significant stakeholders in the affairs of Government across the 19 Northern States.
“Even more crucially, it gladdens the heart to note that our traditional rulers have sustained the time tested and noble tradition of championing the causes of their people. To cite one example, only last week, His Royal Highness, the erudite Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi ll spearheaded the thought provoking debate surrounding the significance of the education of the girl-child and how it can positively impact the progress, development, prosperity, peace, security and stability of the North and, by extension, Nigeria.
“This very fundamental debate bordering on the educational backwardness, pervasive poverty and underdevelopment as well as persistent insecurity of Northern Nigeria should not only form the underlying basis for holding this extraordinary meeting but must continue, in our enlightened self-interest as leaders, to perpetually preoccupy our thoughts, plans, programmes and actions.
“Managing multiculturalism and heterogeneity is a major challenge and indeed a litmus test for leadership, good governance and progress not just in Northern Nigeria but in the entire global society. However, as leaders of government, traditional rulers and community as well as religious leaders we must to unite to tackle the challenges that stare us in the face.
“Like all the Northern Governors acknowledge, development is not just about building roads, bridges, houses or what we refer to as infrastructure and the provision of social services. Yes, these are very important, but then, there are pro-social livelihoods, peace and good life which are the fundamental attributes of meaningful existence.
“Our core challenges in the North today revolve around intolerance, absence of peaceful coexistence, poverty, illiteracy and lack of unity. How can we address these critical concerns? We, the 19 Governors of Northern States believe that a gathering of some of the key leaders of the North is more than able to provide solutions to our problems. As Governors, we are more determined than ever, to sincerely walk the talks generated from this important meeting.
“There is no gain saying the North is a poor, pathetic shadow of its former self. A well-endowed, promising geographic space which accounts for 70% of Nigeria’s land mass, up to at least 60% of its population, with huge solid minerals resources, with potentials for hydrocarbon resources, a growing mining industry, rich arable lands, a blossoming agro-industrial economy, Nigeria’s wealthiest region by GDP and the region with the brightest prospects for accelerated economic growth; in short, arguably Nigeria’s most thriving region, has literally conspired against itself to be reduced to the laughing stock of the world. Northern Nigeria today is blighted by a deadly (albeit retreating) insurgency, rural armed banditry, cattle rustling, ethnic and religious conflicts, the underlying causes of which are poverty, illiteracy, social exclusivity and severely limited economic opportunities.
“We all, of course, know these issues. What is of considerable importance to the Northern Governors Forum and I am sure, to our Royal Highnesses, our most respected elders and other stakeholders, is how to urgently and collectively, address these problems starting with our priorities. While we look forward to tapping from the priceless experiences, vast knowledge and eternal wisdom of Your Royal Highnesses and elder statesmen, we have since began doing some ground work. For instance, the Northern Governors Forum has last year, set up a committee of Attorneys General of the 19 Northern States to review the criminal justice system of Northern Nigeria with a view to amending the penal code to stipulate penalties for criminal offences prevalent in the North today which were not envisaged by the penal code.
“The Forum verily recognizes the direct correlation between the collapse of education, industries and agriculture with most of the violence and restiveness in the north. Individual States are deploying different measures to address their peculiarities but as a Forum, we have established the Northern Nigeria Global Economic Re-integration Programme under the leadership of Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, a very resourceful, internationally connected Northerner, and Chief Economic Adviser to late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua. Dr Kurfi and his team are already following up with the Islamic Development Bank on areas of science education in northern Nigeria.
“The platform is also driving our ongoing commitment with General Electric for the construction of solar power plants in five States within the North. Kurfi’s group is also going to drive some funding arrangements with financial institutions and development partners on key areas of Agriculture. Thankfully, Dr Kurfi himself is very keen about the north reclaiming it’s lost glory in cotton production and textiles manufacturing which was the predominant industrial activity in Northern Nigeria, as well as the creation of international markets for our farm produce with emphasis on value chain.
“Our forum’s secretariat has furnished me with a note that gives details of problems confronting most parts of the North and even suggesting ways of addressing them. However, as my colleagues would say, there will be no point inviting Your Royal Highnesses and distinguished elders if we know the problems and the solutions to them. We will rather prefer to hear from you as we go into a closed door session. We look forward to valuable and free minded conversations that should focus on solving our challenges”, Governor Shettima stated.
The Sultan of Sokoto in own remarks said, “we at the Northern Traditional Rulers Council are very worried and sad with the situation of insecurity in the north, especially the happenings in Southern Kaduna, kidnapping, cattle rustling, the state of IDPs in the North East in particular and other parts of the country.
“We are more worried with the usage of places of religious worship to preach hatred, violence and other issues that tend to divide us, rather than strengthen our unity as a people created by one God.
“We believe, one of the numerous reasons why violence continue to thrive in our midst is the impunity that is allowed to thrive in our midst. Nobody is punished for criminal doings they commit.
“We are therefore strongly supporting more measures taken and to be taken by Governors of the Northern States, especially the Governor of Kaduna State.
“We must all strive to achieve lasting peace in the north in particular and the whole country in particular.
“We look forward to a very robust, blunt and honest discussion today. Let us collectively as one people say enough is enough. We believe the position paper from this council would be presented later to the Northern Governors’ Forum to make our points on these issues and many more”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Host Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai in his own welcome remarks said, all political, traditional and religious leaders must rise in condemning the incessant killings and destruction of lives and properties in the region, saying, “The security situation has become ever more worrisome, as people who have co-existed peacefully for several years have now allowed some unscrupulous elements to instigate them to take arms against one another, leading to the wanton destruction of the lives of innocent and law abiding citizens”.
“This is not only reprehensible but most condemnable. It therefore, becomes incumbent on us to assist Government and Security Agencies in bringing all kinds of criminal elements in our midst to justice, without regard to their ethnic and religious pretensions.
“I wish to call on my colleagues, the Northern States Governors in collaboration with our Royal Fathers to join hands together and never give up in the pursuit of peace and progress for the region. We must strive and restore our region to the status of its glorious past of peace, progress and development.
“On our part, we have not relented in our efforts in encouraging our diverse people to bridge the communication gaps between and amongst them. We must not allow religion or tribal differences to be a barrier between us and our common humanity”, he stated.
