Senator Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno State on Friday insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari must hand over the presidency to the south in the interest of fairness, justice, peace and unity of the country.
He spoke just as the Chief of Staff to President, Amb. Ibrahim Gambari has expressed confidence that Nigeria would emerge from the current security and economic challenges more united and prosperous.
Both Shettima and Gambari spoke, during the public presentation of an Autobiography entitled: “Standing For The Truth With Courage,” by Prof. Emeritus Njidda Mamadu Gadzama, the chairman, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) Research and Development Standing Committee.
Shettima who was the immediate past Borno State Governor called for power rotation between the north and south stressed that the presidency should shift to the South in 2023 in the spirit of fairness and justice.
He blamed selfish politicians for the problems rocking Nigeria, warning that Nigeria could not be divided on the basis of ethnicity or religion while stressing that religion and ethnicity are being used by some people to pursue their selfish agenda.
“I believe in equity, justice and fairness. After power has resided in the North for eight years, there is a need for a power shift in the South,” he said.
Shettima said Nigeria must not be allowed to implode as no country in the continent would be able to accommodate its huge population.
On his part, the Chief of Staff to the President said Nigeria was going through difficult moments but would soon overcome the challenges.
While reaffirming the competence and commitment of President Buhari to take the country out of the woods, he called for support for the administration so that the country could be well-positioned to address all its challenges.
He said: “We are indeed going through difficult times in our country; economic challenges, security challenges, even threats to our livelihood but let us recognise two things, first, that the whole world is going through enormous challenges- terrorism, inequality, COVID-19, which is not a respecter of any persons.
“Nigeria is part of the world. We are not spared from global challenges but the way in which we are tackling them and the leadership under which we operate shows that we shall indeed overcome.
“We are going to emerge from our challenges a more united, more peaceful and more prosperous nation.
“In the year 2050, God sparing our lives to witness it, Nigeria will become a third more populous country in the world after India and China, which means that if we keep united, keep building, we shall overcome our challenges, we cannot be ignored by any other country in the world.
“We will be among the world’s most powerful, and most influential nation and I am convinced not because I’m working currently with him, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, there is going to be a better future for Nigeria,” he said.
Speaking on the book, he described Gadzama as “one of Nigeria’s best and brightest,” adding that “those who wield power are indispensable to the society and equally indispensable are those who speak the truth.”
Presenting the book, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, described Gadzama as a great academic who has impacted massively in the nation’s higher education sector.
Bogoro said Gadzama, who was the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and the University of Port Harcourt as well as a member of the Nigerian Academy of Science, deserves commendations for his courage, truth and service to Nigeria.
“It takes the truth and courage for things to be said the way they are, but the man Professor Emeritus Gadzama that will know does so with diplomacy even when he said the truth with courage,” Bogoro said.
The TETFund boss said the Gadzama led Research and Development Standing Committee has recommended the establishment of the National R&D Foundation to secure the knowledge economy of Nigeria.
In a remark, Gadzama noted that his experience at the 13 Working Groups of TETFund R&D Standing Committee has deepened his faith in Nigeria.
“Beautiful! Nigeria is a beautiful country that nothing should divide us into ethnic lines. The intelligent people of Nigeria have great potential to together develop this country,” the Borno State-born Gadzama, said.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…After Buhari After Buhari
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…After Buhari After Buhari
and then