From Sule Aliyu Bauchi
Leaders in the North have been charged not to allow the legacies of Late Ahmadu Bello, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and other founding fathers die while they pilot the affairs of their respective states in the region.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu when he led other officials of the foundation to a courtesy visit on Governors of Bauchi State, Sen Bala Muhammad and Gombe State, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Bauchi on Monday.
Babangida Aliyu praised the lives and times of Late Ahmadu Bello, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and a host of others who are founding fathers of Nigeria for bequeathing a legacy of unity on the North while they ruled.
He called on the present leaders in the North to do everything humanly possible to bridge the seeming wide gap in the Northern region which has pitched the North-West, North-Central and North-East against each other.
The former Niger Governor decried that the Northern part of Nigeria is at war against itself and gradually disintegrating, which he observed required urgent attention to salvage it from total collapse.
According to him, “If you look around very well, there are some who are busy running down the North, it is not only USAID that is our problem, there are those who are instigating Hausa fighting Fulani and other things. These are the things we must urgently take care of before we are consumed.” He said.
The former Governor of Niger State added that, “These segments of the people are using every available divisive measures to further aggravate our poverty situation and perpetrate all forms of evils among our people”.
“We must be very careful, do away with every materialistic tendencies and unite our people, make our region better and stronger”, the foundation’s chairman noted.
In his response, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdukadir Muhammad who spoke on behalf of the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya stressed the need for concerted efforts to make the North a more united entity.
Muhammàd lamented the present situation in the region caused by what he opined was a long years of neglect and selfish aspirations.
“We are building on what we inherited but it must change positively. We in the Northern States Governors Forum under the leadership of the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya are doing our best to change the narrative positively”, Governor Muhammad added.
He said that they are mapping out local solutions to the local problems of the region, appealing for synergy between the National and subnational governments in order to reduce negative conditions of the country.
Senator Bala Muhammad assured that all the Nineteen States Governors of the Northern region will continue to strive to ensure that the good legacies of the past leaders in order to make the region great again and keep their hopes alive.
