The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) on Saturday decried that most people in the North cannot afford a single square meal per day as a result of the lingering insecurity and socio-economic hardship plaguing the region.
The groups disclosed this in a one-day community engagement held in Katsina under the chairmanship of Professor Sani Abubakar Lugga, the fifth Wazirin Katsina.
The theme of this engagement is: “Imperative of Popular Participation in Tackling Socioeconomic Challenges Bedeviling Nigeria Through Community Solutions.”
The National Coordinator of the Coalition Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi told reporters insecurity in the Northern Region is walking with its two legs hence the need to find a lasting solution to the problem.
According to Charanchi, the time of lamentation is over as virtually all Nigerians know that the country is in a serious problem.
“People can no longer afford three square meals. We are not even talking about the three square meals, people cannot afford a single square meal per day.
“Insecurity is walking with its two legs in the North. So these are the reasons we have seen, and we have come to realize that, the leaders are not even ready to address the problems and to some extent, not only the leaders but even ourselves we have a contribution to do so that at least we can get ourselves out of this quagmire.
“So, the CNG decides after the stakeholders roundtable held in Abuja to engage community people so that each and every member or stakeholder in the community will get to know how to contribute their quota towards alleviating insecurity, economic hardship, and all other crises bedeviling the North.
“The main target here is the community to know how they can contribute to alleviate the problem bedeviling the region. The participants mostly leaders of various organizations are carefully selected. After this meeting, we will mandate the leaders to go back and summon their members and tell them all the information they have gotten here,” he said.
Charanchi while talking about corruption in the country believed that all the problems facing Nigeria ranging from corruption itself, insecurity, economic hardship, and dilapidation in the infrastructure in the education sector, and health sector among others show there is a crisis of leadership.
“In as much as we can get it right, we can get the right leaders, we can get the leaders that have the country at their heart, we can get the leaders that have human feelings, we can get the leaders that act like messengers of God, we can get the leaders that will treat this country as they are going to treat their family definitely we will get it right.
“It’s very unfortunate we don’t have leaders in this country. All we have in this country are politicians and the problem with politicians. They always care about how to secure the next election. But a true leader cares about how to secure the next generation.
“It’s a waste of time to call on leaders to change because I doubt much if our leaders have fear of God. I doubt much if our leaders believe there is something we call hereafter, I doubt much if our leaders have something we call humanity, and I doubt much if our leaders believe that service to humanity is a service to God.
“We have self-centered leaders that believe in enriching themselves and looting the treasury.
“So, the only solution is to let the community come together to believe that, we are the government not somebody as the government, and let’s get it right from our constituency,” Charanchi added.
In his remarks, the Special Guest of Honor and Governor of Katsina State Dikko Radda, commended the organizers of the meeting, stating that, the State Government has done a lot in tackling the issue of insecurity.
The governor who was represented by the State Commissioner for Information and Culture Bala Zango said that Katsina has become a role model in the North in terms of tackling insecurity.
He, however, advised the youth to learn from the bad experience witnessed during the recent nationwide Hunger/End Bad Governance protests where he said bad elements took advantage by turning the demonstrations from peaceful to violent.
“Issues of insecurity and other issues that hindered the development and progress of the North and Nigeria as a whole have been discussed in this community engagement.
“Katsina State Government has done well not only on security and economy but also in every sector.
“I am advising the youth to learn from the bad experience during the recent nationwide hunger/End Bad Governance protest where bad elements took advantage by turning the protest to violent instead of peaceful.
“Rather than protest, let us resort to dialogue which is the best solution to problems. We have seen the lives that have been lost and property destroyed as a result of the protest,” he stated.