Tasks Northern leaders on education, agric, others
By AbdulRaheem Aodu
Kaduna
Governor Kashim Shettima has restated the commitment of Borno state government to rebuild the state following the Boko Haram insurgency, noting that Bama, Gwoza and Danmasaki towns will be rebuilt before the end of 2016.Shettima, who is also the Chairman, Northern States Governors Forum, assured that all Internally Displaced Persons will be returned to their homes latest May 29, 2017.
Addressing the two-day Northern Summit that opened yesterday in Kaduna, Governor Shettima, who lauded Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his support, including N2 billion donation towards the rebuilding of the war ravaged communities, tasked northern leaders to concentrate on education, agriculture and job creation as panacea to the underdevelopment of the region.
According to him, the issue of resettling the IDPs is very crucial to the development of the North and Nigeria, as the thousands of orphans and widows in the various camps may become a challenge to the elite in the region and across the country if efforts were not made to cater for their needs now.
Shettima commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for rescuing the North-east from annihilation, noting that the entire North-east would have been completely wiped out from the surface of the earth by the activities of Boko Haram, but for the timely intervention of President Buhari, who saved the situation.
He said: “We are going to make efforts to rebuild Borno state. Before the end of this year, we want to rebuild, Bama, Gwoza and Danmasaki, we want to bring down all IDPs camps latest by 29 May, 2017, so that all will return to their houses to continue with their normal way of life.
“The level of inter-ethnic interaction will make it impossible to divide this nation into two, three or four. We should have the courage of remaining together, using our level of tolerance and accommodation.
“The emergence of Jonathan administration was the biggest mistake that has happened to this country in the last 10 years. There were conscious and deliberate efforts during his tenure to divide this country along religious and ethnic lines.
“We have lots of challenges but we are united by heritage of poverty. The North has no business being poor because we have two-third of land mass of this country which is the most important resource. The population of Northern Nigeria doubles every 22 years. By 2020, Nigerian population is estimated to be 210 million, by 2030, it will rise to 270 million, by 2050, Nigeria will be the third most populous country in the world with estimated population of 450 million.
“Beneath the mayhem of Boko Haram lies poverty, once we create jobs, educate the youth the menace will evaporate. Most of our problems can be explained in economic and social terms, we have to attend to education, agriculture and job creation in the North to address the challenges.”
Shettima said the state has about 50,000 widows as a result of insurgency, noting that the population of Maiduguri alone is three million, while there are 18,600 orphans in Monguno.
He said the number of orphans resulting from the activities of Boko Haram was more than the widows across the state.
“These orphans and widows we either take care of them or they will take care of us 15 years down the line.”
To control the present social vices among the youths, he said, efforts should be made to enrol more children in schools with a view to educating them to be better future leaders in the country.
He stressed the need for job creation through improved agricultural techniques, small-scale businesses and gender empowerment by giving the youths a sense of belonging in all spheres of life.
Shettima also stressed the need for cohesion and unity in the region as the only way to come out of the present predicament the region had found itself, pointing out that efforts should be made to restore the glory of the North.
To enhance the unity of the region, he explained, the NSGF’s meeting would be rotated in all the states of the region, adding that the next meeting of the forum would take place in Plateau state.
