Founder and chairman, Board of Trustee (BoT) of the Center for Northern Awareness and Development (CENAD), Hon. Ismail Aruwa has urged Northerners to unite ahead of the 2023 general election.
He said any society where there is neither unity nor peace, there cannot be any meaningful growth.
Addressing participants at the summit organised by the Center in Abuja, the BoT chairman said the organisation was put together in 2020, having seen that the North, which was seen then as a united monolithic entity under its past leaders, had taken a different turn.
He however said Northern leaders will back one of the most acceptable candidates they feel can win the election.
Aruwa added, “It is on that basis that we have put together this Center for Northern Awareness and Development (CENAD) and we are trying to remedy the situation, “We are looking at industrialization, youth empowerment, health, girl child education. We are concerned about the unity of the North as a whole.”
Speaking on the theme of the conference, “Striving towards the restoration of a Monolithic North for Regional Economic Prosperity and Meaningful Growth,” Aruwa said he was challenged because “these people (former leaders of the North) achieved all that they did in their early thirties, but today many young people are approaching fifty years, “and we we are finding it difficult to make the right impact.”
On the 2023 general elections, he said “I still believe that when the time comes Northern leaders will key behind one of the most acceptable candidates they feel can win the election, to be supported in 2023. North will provide that leadership necessary to make sure that the best person that can represent their interests will be supported.”
In his remarks, a former Minister of State for Health Architect Gabriel Aduku called on the north to put their acts together ahead of the 2023 general elections, saying that the region cannot afford to make the wrong decision.
Aduku said it was a noble idea for CENAD to try and bring together stakeholders across the north and beyond towards charting a cause for a monolithic north.
He said the initiative coming at a time Nigeria is at the crossroads is laudable, adding, if Nigeria fails to Conduct a successful election in 2023 and get a leader that will tackle the challenges in the country it will not be good enough.
Aduku said, “Today we have a Nigeria that is dangling seriously and I wish all those who have the courage and they are going to face these challenges, may God lead them to be successful and we hope they will be sincere in their leadership.
“To lead this country is a big challenge, let us go back to our roots and make the right decision, our wards, in the wards let us all go back home and make the difference, we cannot continue to wait for politicians, when we make the right decision in our localities things will be better,” he said.
