Northern groups launch measures to tackle region’s challenges

Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has launched what it called community engagement programme in tackling the socio-economic challenges that are bedeviling the region.

At the launching of the programme in Katsina, the Chairman Board of Trusties of the group Dr Nastura Ashir Sheriff, said its necessary to involve the whole northern populace in tackling the challenges, because after due consultations with various stakeholders especially on the issue of insecurity, they realized that it’s only the community participation that can contribute in bringing lasting solution to these challenges.

“We have consulted all the nation’s security segments, royal fathers, security experts and academicians, but the advice we got is to involve the community in tackling these challenges.

“We are therefore launching the programme in katsina. The reason why we chose katsina is because it has started implementing the three measures needed in tackling the challenges.

“We have already forwarded the Federal and State governments the role we feel they should play in tackling the insecurity challenges.”

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The national coordinator of the Coalition of the Northern Groups Comrade Jamilu Charanchi said the time of lamentations is over, everybody knows nothing is working in the country.

He said, “Insecurity is working with its two legs in this part of the country and we have realized that the leaders are not even ready to address the problem.

“Even we, the community, are not doing anything. That’s why the CNG met, made consultations and decided to come up with this idea of engaging members of the public in the fight against this issue of insecurity.

“We believe it’s now the root cause of our setbacks in many aspects bedeviling the region.”

Jamilu added, “the insecurity and other socio-economic problems persists in the country because the nation has no leaders, it only has politicians whose main concern is how to win the next election.

“They don’t have people at heart, only what they can get. If they have concern for people, I am sure, we wouldn’t have been in this mess.”

“Among the things we intend to do now, is to set up committees at the community levels which will be educating and enlightening people on how to choose good leaders who will have the community at heart at whatever level they are elected to serve.”

Participants at the launching of the programme includes, Government officials, Royal fathers, Community leaders, Youth Organizations, Civil Society Groups and others.

Various groups have suggested ways in which they feel the Socio-economic challenges of the north can be tackled, with some putting blame on bribery and corruption.

A lecturer at the Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic Dr Bashir Ruwangodiya said, if the problem of bribery and corruption can be addressed in Nigeria, 90 percent of its Socio-economic problem can be solved.

He said, “Corruption has eaten deep down all our systems in this country, I am sure if this problem, can be solved, Nigeria will be great within no time.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE