“It Will Take 20 Years To Revive Northern Nigeria” – Abdulsalami Abubakar
Former Head of State, General Abubakar Abdulsalami (rtd) has said that it would take about 20 years of constant effort to revive the Northern part of the country from its current ‘fever’ of insecurity.
The retired military General said this Thursday in Yankari, Bauchi State during the North-East Alliance For Transformation Summit.
Abdulsalami called on all residents of the region to help bring the situation under control by reporting suspicious persons and objects to the relevant authorities.
The former Army General who chaired a session on, “security, politics and economy of the North,” on the second day of the Arewa House Conference on “The North and Strategies for Sustainable Development,” said the major aim of the conference was to restore peace back to the region.
His words: “Certainly if there is unity we wouldn’t be here at this conference: So since there is no unity, that is why the Arewa House is trying to galvanize it at this conference.
“It will take 20 years to revive the North. A lot of socio-economic damages have been done. If you go round the affected areas that is when you will appreciate the extent of damages done to the region. We have to work together to revive it.
“All of us should join hands. We cannot leave security to the government alone. Every Nigerian is a security officer; let’s try to join hands and report what we see, so that the government will be able to take action. We should be government’s watch dogs and also watch our communities.”
In the same vein, for Secretary General of Independent Nationa electoral Commission (INEC) Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said: “The next two years will test the resilience of the Nigerian State; and the capacity of Northerners to bounce back.
“Right now, the Boko Haram insurgency is eating it up like a cancer, and it will require bold initiatives by Northerners to find a solution, by influencing both the insurgency and the Government.
“Not all Nigerians are comfortable with a united and strong North. Its current position therefore is welcome to its detractors and rivals. They will not lift a finger to heal its wound. This will have to be done by people in this hall who feel the pain most,” he added.
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