North must be well for Nigeria to be well – Onaiyekan

Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has said the quality of governance in the north must increase in the interest of Nigeria. He said this on Tuesday in Abuja when the League of Northern Democrats (LND) visited him, in continuation of their consultative meetings with eminent leaders. Daily Trust reports that the […]

Emeritus Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has said the quality of governance in the north must increase in the interest of Nigeria.

He said this on Tuesday in Abuja when the League of Northern Democrats (LND) visited him, in continuation of their consultative meetings with eminent leaders.

Daily Trust reports that the LND has been engaged in a series of consultations with eminent Nigerian leaders including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former defence minister, Gen. T.Y. Danjuma (Retd).

The elder statesman who lamented the level of despondency, said if the north does not move well, Nigeria cannot move well; and that if Nigeria does move well, Africa cannot move well.

Onaiyekan, who pledged to support the LND in its quest for quality leadership, commended them for looking beyond partisan politics, but urged them to engage the political leadership in the North on need to deliver good governance.

He said the quality of governance in the north and across the country must improve, but that the intervention of the elite group will help to change the narrative about the region.

“I think we must face reality that the way the northern Nigeria is today is not what we can be proud of. All the various indices of good governance and standard of living, we have a very poor record. If Nigeria is poor, the epicenter of the poor is the north. And when there is a league of Northern democrats who are interested in addressing the issues and finding out about why is it that things are not moving as they should, I think things will move because a league of elite northern democrats should be able to engage those who call themselves political leaders especially as some of you have had good experience in government.

“So you can tell them, listen look around you. Are you proud of what you see? Out of school children all over the place and it is not an excuse to say we are poor because if we continue to about being poor the issue will remain.

“We are in a federal government and federal resources are being distributed so what has happened. Let’s face it, if the North does not move well, Nigeria cannot move well. It’s the same discourse, if Nigeria does move well, Africa cannot move well.

“There is no room for one section of the country to be lagging behind. What it does mean is that the entire nation should be interested in what you people are doing. If for no other reason but for what they normal call enlightened self-interest,” Onaiyekan said.

Speaking earlier, leader of LND and former Kano State governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, said the group was motivated to proffer urgent solutions to the severe social political challenges facing north.

He said that their group now has over 500 elite members, and that they are dedicated to reposition the north, socially, economically and politically.

Shekarau said that the group is focused on addressing challenges of poverty, illiteracy, insecurity, mutual distrust and declining political influence of the region.

He also said the group is not tailored to support any individual or political party, adding that their concern is that all political parties are mobilised and made to serve the electorate.