Protest: Niger Senator calls for emergency summit of northern leaders

Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East, APC) has called for an emergency summit of northern leaders to discuss and find solutions to the state of affairs in the region. The call comes on the heels of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest, which has led to the loss of lives and destruction of many public properties, especially […]

Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East, APC) has called for an emergency summit of northern leaders to discuss and find solutions to the state of affairs in the region.

The call comes on the heels of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest, which has led to the loss of lives and destruction of many public properties, especially in the northern part of the country.

The protests had also seen some protesters fly the flag of the Russian Federation to call for its intervention, while others called for military intervention.

In an apparent response to the state of the nation, especially in the North, Senator Sani, in a statement he signed on Wednesday, said the summit, which has become more urgent and necessary, should aim at finding “holistic, common solutions to the numerous challenges facing Northern Nigeria in all facets, such as security, education, agriculture and food security, and socio-economic development.

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“I wish to appeal to our conscience regarding the state of our affairs in Northern Nigeria. As a matter of urgency and necessity, I propose that we convoke an emergency summit comprising the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Deputy Senate President, all Northern governors, senators, Members of the House of Representatives, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Honourable Ministers, speakers of the Houses of Assembly of the 19 Northern states, and leaders of thought, including recognised youth group leaders,” he said.

He added that “We must rise to face these challenges head-on, without any discrimination or sentiment. Today, God has bestowed upon us these responsibilities, and we must one day account for our actions and inactions. As leaders, we will be judged both in this life and in the hereafter by our deeds.

“We have the potential to be the re-engineered architects of a new Northern Nigeria, which in turn will contribute to making Nigeria greater, renewing the hopes of our people. We must rally to support our dear President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in his quest to rediscover Nigeria and make it one of the most prosperous and advanced nations of the world.

“The North has one option, and that is to key into the Renewed Hope vision of the present democratic government for the good of our people and future. I submit this as my suggestion for my respected colleagues to consider.”

In July, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani remarked that northern leaders are to blame for the region’s challenges, including poverty and insecurity.

He urged the Northern elite, including politicians and businessmen, to move beyond the blame game and take concrete steps to address these issues.

“I believe that as leaders of northern Nigerians, we must sit down, look at ourselves in the mirror, and ask ourselves the whole truth,” he said.