Amid worries over unity in pursuit of Northern interests, former military President General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has sought a realistic push for the region’s development and protection of its interests.
He said that the time was ripe for a strong voice that could advocate for the region’s interests and the nation’s unity.
Babangida, who spoke at his uphill Residence while receiving officials of the Arewa Cohesion for Peace, Unity, and Development Initiative, lauded the idea behind the organisation’s establishment.
While pledging his support for the group, he urged them to be steadfast in defending the interests of the north, invariably those of the nation at large.
Babangida posited that the group emerged when the region needed strong voices to work in unity and cohesion.
The group, led by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, and the Director General, Dr Abdullahi Idris, IBB, observed that it has credible leadership that would help achieve its aims and objectives.
Earlier, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, said the need for a strong voice for the north informed the group’s establishment.
He announced that the group would be formally launched in Kaduna by July 10th, 2025, even as he told Journalists after he met IBB that the north and Nigeria are desirous of peace and good democratic practices, like allowing opposition to exist for the general good of the Citizens.
While saying no region should be blamed for the nation’s backwardness, he said citizens must work cohesively to move the country forward.
“So, it is our task to see what we can do to assist ourselves, not even assisting the government, but assisting ourselves. If there is peace, Nigerians will sleep well. So, we must see what we can do so that the north and the country can move forward,” he added.
The group’s director general, Dr Idris, noted that the group was out to promote unity and development in the north and ensure that the right things would be done to ensure the region’s growth.
