Vice President Kashim Shettima has blamed poor governance for the backwardness of the Northern Nigeria, especially the Northwest.
He therefore called on the Northern stakeholders to go back to the drawing board, re-assess the state of affairs in the North and come up with robust platforms of re-engineering the society.
The Vice President spoke today, August 30, when he granted an audience to a group of Northern States Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (CONSCCIMA), led by its President, Mallam Dalhatu Abubakar at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Senator Shettima said: “poor governance has a direct bearing on what we are harvesting in the North-West today.”
He stressed the imperative need for the north to therefore, embark on re-strategizing and re-engineering of the region in order to reposition it for accelerated development.
The Vice President told leading industrialists and agents of change from the North: “most of the issues highlighted by the President of CONSCCIMA are very poignant as these are issues that touch the lives and wellbeing of our people.”
He observed that any society that seeks to achieve economic development must cultivate peace and stability, restating: “there can never be development without peace and there can never be peace without development.”
This was even as the leader of the delegation, Mallam Abubakar, expressed the readiness of its organisation to seek partnership with the Federal Government towards the revitalization of the economy in the North.
He highlighted some projects that can help to galvanize the economy of the North to include the revival of moribound industries and setting up of new ones; establishment of pharmaceutical industries; establishment of modular refineries; recharging of the Lake Chad; completion of Mambila Power and other Power projects; acquisition of Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company.
Also today, the Vice President Shettima reiterated the value of the traditional institution in the country when he granted audience to a delegation, led by the Chairman of the Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, Sidi Bage Muhamamad I.
Vice President Shettima acknowledged the role of the traditional rulers, saying: “you are the custodian of our rich cultural heritage, the people listen to you more than us because you are the closest to the people. “We appreciate you and value you because you are our link to the past.”
He asked the people of the State to be peaceful in order to develop, noting that Nasarawa State is home to all the solid minerals in the country.
“If we productively utilize our solid minerals, Nasarawa can be to the North what Lagos is to the South-West and can be the engine room in this region because of its proximity to the FCT. Opportunities abound more in Nasarawa State.”
In the delegation of the Nasarawa State were first Class Emirs, Chiefs and other prominent sons of Nasarawa State.
