Ahead of the 2023 election, the former Minister of State for Health Architect Gabriel Aduku, has urged the northerners to go back to their roots and make the right decision.
Aduku who cautioned that the region could not afford to make the wrong decision also called for love and unity among Northerners.
Speaking at the summit organised by the Center for Northern Awareness and Development (CENAD) in Abuja, Wednesday, the former Minister of State for Health commended the organisers noting that the conference came at a time Nigeria is at a crossroads.
Aduku advocated for more conferences to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s problems.
He stated, “We as Northerners must love ourselves as brothers and sisters. In this election, may we do what is right and have a true leader that will work for the people and reposition Nigeria in such a way that development becomes part of everyone.
“Because today we have a Nigeria that is dangling seriously and I wish all those who have the courage and they are going to face these challenges, may God lead them to be successful and we hope they will be sincere in their leadership.
“To lead this country is a big challenge, let us go back to our roots and make the right decision, our wards, in the wards let us all go back home and make a difference, we cannot continue to wait for politicians when we make the right decision in our localities things will be better.”
In his remark, the Convener and Chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) of CENAD, Ismail Aruwa, explained that the group was formed in 2020 to unite the north.
Aruwa who spoke on the theme of the conference, “Striving towards the restoration of a Monolithic North for Regional Economic Prosperity and Meaningful Growth,” lamented that today’s leaders in the north were finding it difficult to make the right impact.
He stated “any society where there is no unity, no peace, there cannot be any meaningful growth, it is on that basis that we have put together this Center for Northern Awareness and Development (CENAD).
“We are looking at industrialisation, youth empowerment, health, girl child education. We are concerned about the unity of the North.
“Under Sardaunan those days, decisions could easily be reached as a monolithic north, in the Second Republic, for example, it was not Shehu Shagari that was gunning to be president, it was Maitama Sule, but when he was impressed upon in the best interest of the North, he jettisoned his ambition and supported the popular choice Shagari.”