A former Minister of Information and Communication, Labaran Maku, has identified a major setback for the Northern region and Nigeria at large.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja following his receipt of a fellowship award from the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Maku expressed regret over the excessive political violence prevalent in the North, stating that once a nation group declares we against them (North vs South) kind of politics, there is already a problem.
Maku called on governors of Northern states to focus closely on tackling insecurity, emphasizing that it stands in the way of the area’s progress and needs to be addressed.
He further expressed sadness over the situation where individuals are unable to tend to their farms, advocating for a return to peace in the area.
He said: “Governors in the North must stop this violence of terror, banditry, (insecurity) which has brought Nigeria to the ground. When people can’t go to farms, food production suffers, cost of living goes up. If I were a governor in the North today, my first duty is (will be) to ensure peace in my state.
“There is too much politics of violence in the North. Until the governors sit up, no miracle can be performed, even by the federal government. Once you live in a nation that says ‘we vs them’, ‘North vs South, ‘Christianity vs Islam,’ you must have malice.
“We need to improve the way we look at life. But I must say that leadership has the responsibility of uniting people. If we, the leaders unite the nation in our policies, there’ll be peace and unity.
“I believe under the present dispensation we’re looking forward to a proper management of the economy to give respite to the people.
“The President should pay special attention to monetary policies. If the value of the Naira continues to go down, the consequence is that nobody will be able to produce. Whatever you want to do in this nation, you must import machinery. And so, if the value of the Naira drops, it will affect a lot of companies which are already leaving Nigeria.”
