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Former vice president, Namadi Sambo
Former Vice President Namadi Sambo, on Saturday, lamented the rising state of insecurity in the North, saying it is forcing farmers away from their farms and affecting the education and health of several families.
He threw his weight behind the formation of the League of Northern Democrats, which he described as a viable platform to address the numerous challenges facing the North and the country in general.
Sambo gave the endorsement while hosting the leadership of the League of Northern Democrats, led by its chairman, former Kano State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, at his residence in Abuja on Saturday.
He said, ‘’It is very worrisome to note how insecurity has crippled agriculture, while threatening the education and health of our children and women, and these have continued to widen the net of poverty and inequality among people of the north and indeed the entire country.”
The former VP, who identified with the initiative, tasked the forum to ensure that they rose to meet the aspirations of people in the region.
“Irrespective of our political lineage, we must continue to leverage our respective experiences and resources to play our part in order to meet the aspirations of our people while engendering sustainable peace and socio-economic development,” he added.
The League of Northern Democrats convened by an elder statesman Dr. Umar Ardo, was recently launched in a meeting attended by critical northern elites.
The group appointed Shekarau as its pro tem chairman and former House of Representatives member, Emmanuel Jime, as secretary among other eminent northerners.
In a letter of appreciation addressed to the League’s convener, Dr Umar Ardo, on Saturday, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahaman Dambazau, also expressed concern over the spate of insecurity ravaging the North.
He said, ‘’The deteriorating conditions in the whole of Northern Nigeria, which include insecurity, banditry, illiteracy, endemic poverty, drug abuse, proliferation of arms and collapse of our institutions, require urgent and coordinated action.”
Commending the commitment of the group to tackle the challenges facing the region, Dambazau said the League of Northern Democrats presented an opportunity to galvanise the efforts of leaders and stakeholders to reposition the North for a more prosperous future.
He also promised to participate in any of the group’s activities geared towards addressing the concerns of the region.
Meanwhile, the league has announced a plan to hold a historic summit in Kaduna in October this year with Vice President Kashim Shettima expected to be in attendance.
According to the convener, the LND is not aligned with any political party, ethnic or religious affiliations.
“It came into being to help the government tackle the myriad of challenges undermining the northern states such as insecurity, poverty, illiteracy, destitution, unemployment and the menace of drug addiction among the youths,” Ardo noted.
