The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has described the recently concluded nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests as a significant wake-up call, suggesting that the northern region is “sitting on a time bomb.”
Governor Sule made these remarks during his appearance on Channels Television’s current affairs programme, Politics Today. He stressed the urgent need for northern governors to take proactive measures to address the challenges facing the region.
“This protest that happened recently is an eye opener, especially to my colleagues from the north. Even if anybody is not doing anything, it should not be governors from the north. We must do something urgent,” Sule said. “We can’t be blaming other people for our problems. I can’t wait to tell my fellow governors from the north in our next governors’ forum that it is time to look at each other’s faces as governors from the north and tell one another the truth and say we must do something now.”
Facing the Truth and Taking Action
Governor Sule called for a more honest and transparent approach among northern governors in their next meeting, emphasizing the need to put aside religious and cultural excuses to find solutions for the region’s development.
“In our next meeting as northern governors, it will no longer be a meeting where anyone will say religion has forbidden me from doing this or that. We must all go out to say this is what we will do to move from where we are to where we want our people to be,” he added.
Reflecting on the protests in Lafia, Governor Sule noted the significant participation of young Almajiris, many of whom did not fully understand the reasons behind their participation in the protests.
“During the last protest in Lafia, the majority of those who came out on the streets were Almajiris. Some of them are five, six, and seven years old. Lots of them did not even understand the meaning of the protest.
When I spoke with them later, I discovered that some of them didn’t even know what they were protesting about.”
The Need for Educational Reform
Governor Sule also highlighted the critical need for education and economic empowerment in the north, stating that these are essential to addressing the underlying issues that led to the protests.
“One major problem in the north is education. When people do not have education and economic empowerment, they will continue to behave the way the Almajiris behaved during the last protest. Education must be taken seriously in the north. We must be honest with ourselves. We must face each other and say, sir, marrying so and so number of wives, having so and so number of children when you cannot take care of them is wrong.”
He further explained that the Quran does not mandate having more children than one can provide for, emphasizing that Islam does not condone having children and sending them to the streets to beg for food or livelihood.
Increased Revenue for States
Addressing the efforts by President Bola Tinubu to increase revenue allocation, Governor Sule acknowledged the positive impact on states’ finances since Tinubu’s assumption of office.
“No state can say that their revenue has not multiplied by two. In the past, the total revenue shared was around N600 billion or N620 billion maximum. Today, the total amount being shared stands at N1.1 trillion to N1.3 trillion. Every state, including the federal government, is receiving improved revenue. Thanks to Mr. President for allowing it to happen like that.”
He noted that President Tinubu could have diverted the funds to other areas but chose to distribute the increased revenue among the states to ensure development.
“Nobody will receive that amount of money and will not do anything, nobody. We must justify the money given to us as governors.”
Governor Sule’s remarks highlight the urgent need for strategic action and collaboration among northern governors to address the socio-economic challenges and ensure sustainable development in the region.
