His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, the Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, yesterday stressed that the quality of governance in the North must increase in the interest of Nigeria.
The elder statesman who decried the state of development in the North, said if the region does not move well, Nigeria cannot move well, the same way governance failure in Nigeria has impeded Africa’s growth.
Onaiyekan made these remarks while receiving the LND delegation, led by its chairman, former Kano State Governor Senator. Ibrahim Shekarau, at his residence in Abuja.
Onaiyekan, who pledged to support the LND in its quest for quality leadership, commended the group for not being a partisan political group.
He however urged them to engage the political leadership in the North on the need to provide good governance.
In his welcome address to the league, the elder statesman stressed that the quality of governance in the north and across the country must improve.
He however noted that the intervention of the elite group will help to change the narrative about the region.
Decrying the state of the North, he said, “I think we must face reality that the way Northern Nigeria is today is not what we can be proud of. All the various indices of good governance and standard of living we have a very poor record. If Nigeria is poor the epicenter of the poor is the north.
“And when there is a league of Northern democrats who are interested in addressing the issues and finding out about why is it that things are not moving as they should, I think things will move because a league of elite northern democrats should be able to engage those who call themselves political leaders especially as some of you have had good experience in government.
“So you can tell them, listen and look around you. Are you proud of what you see? Out of school children all over the place. And it is not an excuse to say we are poor because if we continue to talk about being poor, the issue will remain. We are in a federal government and federal resources are being distributed so what has happened.
“Let’s face it, if the North does not move well, Nigeria cannot move well. It’s the same discourse, if Nigeria does not move well, Africa cannot move well.
There is no room for one section of the country to be lagging behind. What it does mean is that the entire nation should be interested in what you people are doing. If for no other reason but for what they normally call enlightened self interest.”
He stressed the need for all regions of the country to move together, adding that his doors are open to leaders from other parts of the country who share the same interest of ensuring good governance.
He added that the country needs many leagues of democrats to improve the quality of governance.
Speaking earlier, leader of LND and former Kano State governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, said the group was motivated to proffer urgent solutions to the severe social political challenges facing north.
Stressing that their group now has over 500 elite members, Shekarau reiterated that they are dedicated to repositioning the north, socially, economically and politically.
He added that the group is focused on addressing challenges of poverty, illiteracy, insecurity, mutual distrust and declining political influence of the region.
He said the group is not tailored to support any individual or political party, adding that their concern is that all political parties are mobilised and made to serve the electorate.
Recall that LND has been engaged in a series of consultations with eminent Nigerian leaders including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ty Danjuma.
