A prominent Northern forum on the platform of Arewa New Frontiers (ANF) has said that the governors from the zone deserve more support all the stakeholders and citizens to end insecurity battling the north.
The group, however, asked the former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido and other critics of the governors on the recent move to them alone.
Ten North-west and North-central governors were recently invited by a United State of America (USA) agency for a special meeting on how to curb the insecurity but the move had been heavily criticised by former governor Lamido and others.
Lamido described the move as a waste of state resources.
Responding to the development at a press conference, Wednesday in Abuja, National Coordinator of group, Malam Abubakar Lawal, said it was not the right time to condemn what he called all important move by these governors in their mission to salvage the high rate of insecurity that has taken over their states over the years before their elective positions as governors.
According to Malam Lawal, the visit by the governors could help solve this long security challenge that has ravaged the north and held its people under siege. Nobody can deny the fact that the United States has some of the best security measures across the world and has a long history of helping other nations tackle insecurity effectively with contribution in both intellectual strategies, and weapons acquisition.
“While the ex-Governor is still entitled to his view and has the right of freedom of speech, criticism and expression, we believe this was not the right time to condemn this all important move by these governors in their mission to salvage the high rate of insecurity that has taken over their states over the years before their elective positions as governors.
“We want to believe the former Governor was attacking the Jigawa state Governor, being his governor, but not the 9 other governors because for us he has misfired. Lamido for the avoidance of doubt should face his trivails with the EFCC and allow these new set of digital governors find solutions to their problems.
“It is even annoying that a person who has held the foreign affairs portfolio under Obasanjo would be denigrating an international fora meant to find solutions to our problems. It is a shame that he has lost touch with realities. How did he know NIPSS and ASCON were not contacted to find solutions to this challenges. He won’t know, because he is an analogue politician.
“Lamido as far as we are concerned is a failure and we won’t hesitate to call on the EFCC to dust his case file. It is a fact that the northern states especially the northwest have of recent been most hit by the dare devil activities of bandits and terrorists and the need to go as far as China or across the red sea to find solution to this blight should be a welcome idea instead of condemnation as no one holds the monopoly to knowledge.
“And as the Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda one of the governors who was part of the visit rightly said ‘sharing experiences and ideas on a global scale was crucial in today’s interconnected world.’
“Nobody is an island. This visit we believe would help build the capacity and understanding of these governors on what to do and how to effectively tackle this insecurity menace in a more modernized form with new ideas and modern weapons and security strategies that would be alien to the enemies.
“The world is a global village and just as Sule Lamido suggested that the governors should have engaged on their visit on how to boost Agriculture, health. Who told him the governors went there for security issues only? He will never know because his mindset was just to be relevant for some days.”
While asking the public to ignore the critics of the 10 Northern governors, the group said “we believe there is no valuable time wasted in running a state as long as the assignment embarked upon has to do with securing one’s state from bandits and blood baths and other security challenges.
“And these governors we believe are also being careful with sitting down with the various security or professional institutions like NIPSS. ASCON and the NIA as recommended by Sule Lamido based on the current betrayal and sabotage and corruption rampant among the various security compositions in the country where confidential secrets are easily exposed by those working for the government to the enemies for peanuts and porridge. And these various recommended agencies have failed to find or bring out solutions to the insecurity challenges in the country for more than ten years despite their huge funding.
“In conclusion we believe the governors deserve more support and encouragement to go as far as America and any other country under the sun to seek and find lasting solutions to the alarming insecurity across the north and the daily killings and bloodbath overloading the regions for more than a decade now.”
